More Women Than Men In Wicklow Look After The Home.

In Census 2022, 9,267 people in Wicklow recorded their principal economic status as ‘looking after the home or family

In Census 2022, 9,267 people in Wicklow recorded their principal economic status as ‘looking after the home or family’ – the vast majority of whom were women.

Hot on the heels of the new CSO data, Royal London Ireland have released their own research which found that more than nine in ten people (92pc) in Ireland underestimate the monetary value of stay-at-home parents to varying degrees.Of the 1,000 adults surveyed in the annual Stay-at-Home Parent Survey commissioned by Royal London Ireland, one of the leading life insurance and pensions companies in Ireland, only 8pc valued the cost to employ someone to perform the duties of a stay-at-home parent at over €50k, while Royal London Ireland’s research, which is based on real-world wage data, found that, in reality, the cost to employ someone to do the ‘duties’ performed by stay-at-home mams and dads would be an estimated €54,590 per annum – up from €53,480 in 2022.Survey participants estimated the potential salary of a stay-at-home parent at an average of €30,547 in 2023 – an increase of €2,087 or 7.3pc compared to 2022.Three times as many women as men who took part in the survey correctly estimated that it would cost more than €50k (13pc vs. 4pc).

Philip McGoldrick of Royal London Ireland Wicklow commented: “Each year we ask the same question and each year we’ve found that most people underestimate the likely ‘salary’ of a stay-at-home mam or dad. This year, survey participants estimated the potential ‘salary’ of the stay-at-home parent at an average of €30,547 per year, which although up by €2,087 or 7.3pc on the 2022 figure, is still well below the €54,590 that we calculated for the role. While the role of the stay-at-home parent is often described as ‘priceless’, it is interesting to see how some people can misconceive the role of a stay-at-home parent and the financial cost.”