How Much Is Motherhood’s Unpaid Work Actually Worth? Use the Invisible Labor Calculator to Find Out.
Earlier this week, journalists Amy Westervelt and Katherine Goldstein published an op-ed on Medium outlining the revolutionary roots of Mother's Day, and they introduced what may be one of the greatest tools ever for moms, the Invisible Labor Calculator. We are sharing the important message they sent out to their community, as well as ways you can spread the word this Mother’s Day.
(Please note: their original message has been slightly edited to remove dated information.)
Did you know that Mother's Day was created more in the mold of a social movement/labor strike rather than the brunch 'n flowers holiday we know today?
We're calling for a return to a true discussion about all that mothers do to keep society and families running. Too often, our labor is seen as unquantifiable. We disagree. So we built an Invisible Labor Calculator where you can get assigned a dollar amount that all of this labor, from childcare, to housework, to appointment-making to eldercare, that goes unpaid and often unacknowledged, should actually earn you.
If you are interested in sharing this message and highlighting all of the unpaid labor mothers do, calculate your number and share it using the hashtag #MDayPayDay (for Mother's Day Payday) on Twitter and/or Instagram.
Sample Text:
Mothers' labor may be invisible, but it's not free. The unpaid work I do as a mom should earn me $TK per year #MDayPayDay #MothersDay. What's your number?
Here's a link to the op-ed.
Here's a link to the calculator.
Here's a link to The Double Shift episode where we discuss this and announce the launch of our membership program!
Handles:
Twitter: @kgeee and @amywestervelt
Instagram: @thedoubleshift and @amywestervelt
Hashtag: #MDayPayDay
Thanks for spreading the word!
Amy Westervelt is an award-winning journalist, founder and head of the Critical Frequency podcast network, creator and host of the Drilled podcast, and author of Forget “Having It All”: How America Messed Up Motherhood — And How to Fix It
Katherine Goldstein is a journalist and the creator and host of The Double Shift Podcast, a show about a new generation of working mothers.