WASHINGTON – To celebrate Mother’s Day, and all that mothers do, Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Ranking Member Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has released a list of 10 facts about what mothers add to the US economy, and the challenges they face.
“Mothers contribute almost $1 trillion to the U.S. economy,” Ranking Member Maloney (D-NY) said. “Today, 70 percent of mothers with children work outside the home, and mothers provide nearly 40 percent of the household earnings for families with working mothers. Yet mothers on average earn 3 percent LESS than women without children, while fathers earn 15 percent MORE than men without children. This is wrong and highlights the need for paid family leave, the Equal Rights Amendment and legislation to ensure equal pay for equal work. Our moms deserve nothing less.”
In April, Rep. Maloney released a report examining the gender pay gap and its long-term effects on women, their families and the economy.
To honor mothers everywhere, enjoy these 10 facts about mothers and the US economy:
Mother’s Day 2016
10 Economic Facts about Mothers that Might Surprise You
Mothers in the United States earned roughly $1 trillion for their families in 2014.
Overwhelmingly, mothers work outside the home. Today, 70 percent of mothers with children under the age of 18 are in the labor force, up from 47 percent in 1975.
Today, 64 percent of children under the age of 18 – nearly 45 million children – live in a household with a mother who is in the labor force.
Households with a mother who works outside the home typically rely on her wages for nearly 40 percent of their earnings.
Earnings from a mother’s work are especially important for families near the bottom of the income spectrum. In the poorest families, mothers bring home 89 percent of their family’s earnings.
Roughly 5.1 million working mothers earn less than $12 per hour. That includes more than 2.4 million single moms. A single mother of two children who works full-time at the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) is left more than $4,500 below the poverty line.
Some 1.6 million women are the primary providers for their grandchildren. Grandmothers take on this role for many reasons, including the death, illness or incarceration of a parent.
Data suggest that women effectively are penalized for becoming mothers and caring for their families. The typical working woman can lose as much as half a million dollars over a 40-year career as a result of the gender wage gap.
Among working parents, women are often hit with a “mommy penalty”, while men are rewarded with a “daddy bonus.” On average, mothers earn 3 percent less than women without children, while fathers earn 15 percent more than childless men.
Yet, the United States lags behind in adopting policies that can help mothers balance the demands of both work and family. The United States is the only advanced country that does not guarantee paid leave for new mothers. Mothers in many other advanced countries also have access to paid sick leave, flexible work policies and affordable, quality child care.
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