Stay-at-home mother

At-home mothers exist throughout the world. However, determining the number of at-home mothers is difficult. Some mothers earn income but don't report it. Some mothers who consider themselves "at home" are counted as "working mothers" due to the definition of "employed person." In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed, in 2021, that labor force participation of mothers with children under 18 years of age was 71.2%, leaving 28.8% to be mothers with children under 18 outside of the labor force. These mothers who are outside of the labor force are otherwise known as stay-at-home mothers. They are not considered part of the labor force because they are not employed for pay nor are they unemployed, meaning available and searching for paying work. The definition of employed person by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is this: "Employed persons are all those who, during the survey reference week, (a) did any work at all as paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm; or (c) worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in an enterprise operated by a member of the family." == Economy ==

Following the industrial revolution, when women began to work outside of the home, mothers had the job of educating children to be productive members of the labor market. Such was essential "to the development of a vibrant capitalist economy." When the GDP was first developed in the early 1930s, "its calculations were limited to the total monetary value of goods and services that were sold," leaving out intangibles like "improvements in surgical techniques, the value of clean water, or the care provided by a family member." Worldwide, the unpaid work of caregiving is worth $10.8 trillion a year and done mostly by girls and women. When nations and global aid organizations make economic decisions based only on paid work, they often have unintended negative impacts on unpaid caregivers. Perpetuating a false dichotomy between "at home" and "working" results in family policies that exclude millions of families. Scholars and advocates for at-home mothers and for unpaid caregiving call for change in everything from how "work" is defined and measured to how economies are structured. For example, in "Care: The Highest Stage of Capitalism," Premilla Nadasen reveals the inequities of the for-profit care economy. She points to the essential human ethic of caregiving and the elements of joy and community-building that constitute a caring society. == Advocacy groups ==

Global and regional organizations are advocating for the interests of stay-at-home mothers and others who do unpaid domestic labor and care work. Mothers at Home Matter represents mothers and fathers in the UK and internationally, working for an "economic level playing field." In Europe, 19 organizations campaign together as FEFAF (Fédération Européenne Des Femmes Actives En Famille / European Federation of Parents and Carers at Home). This group has said: "Unpaid care should be equally valued, protected and recognised on a human, social and economic level." In the U.S., Family and Home Network campaigns for inclusive family policies that would benefit all families, equitably supporting all care. More than 100 organizations globally signed on to the letter. Reports on government programs, as well as analyses of policy proposals, illuminate the need to recognize and support at-home parents and caregivers. == See also ==