Motherhood in the U.S., as told by the (grim) numbers

By Katie McDonough  |  May 6, 2016 | 3:16pm
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Number of mothers in the U.S.: 43.5 million

Percentage of people in the U.S. who celebrate Mother’s Day: 84

Percentage of private sector workers without access to paid family leave: 88

Number of weeks new parents can take off under New York’s recently passed paid leave law: 12

Average out-of-pocket cost per week to employees under New York’s paid leave law: $1.00

Average annual cost of infant care in the U.S.: $11,020

Annual salary for workers earning the federal minimum wage: $15,080

Number of states where the cost of infant care exceeds the cost of in-state college tuition: 33

Percentage by which out-of-pocket spending on childcare has increased over the last three decades: 100

Number of years since Congress last raised the federal minimum wage: 7

Base salary for all members of the U.S. House and Senate: $174,000

Number of states that have passed a $15 minimum wage as of May 2016: 2

Number of states where $15 is a living wage for a single mother: 0

Number of states where the federal minimum wage of $7.25 is a poverty wage for a single mother: 50

Percentage of private sector workers without access to paid sick days: 39

Percentage of voters who support extending paid sick days to all workers: 88

Average number of work days adults miss per year due to health reasons: 4

Average number of school days children miss per year due to health reasons: 3

Factor by which mothers are more likely than fathers to stay home with a sick child: 10

Average number of hours per week mothers spent on house work and childcare in 2011: 32

Average number of hours per fathers spent on house work and childcare in 2011: 17

Percentage of people who say they plan to call their mother on Mother’s Day: 68

 
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