It would cost around €60,112 per year to employ someone to do the various jobs carried out by a stay-at-home parent, according to new research.
The study by insurance and pension company Royal London Ireland assessed the monetary worth of parents who provide full-time care and household management at home.
The role’s estimated annual equivalent value has increased by 5.2% since 2024, when it stood at €57,140.
It has risen by 48% from €40,560 when the study was first conducted ten years ago in 2015.
Researchers reviewed the range of daily tasks carried out by stay-at-home parents and calculated what it would cost to hire someone to take on these responsibilities, using current wage rates as a benchmark.
The duties assessed included childcare, cleaning, cooking, teaching assistance, gardening and transporting children to activities.
As part of the research, Royal London Ireland also conducted a survey of 1,000 adults which showed that 82% of respondents continue to fail to recognise the true financial worth of stay-at-home parents.
Less than one in five of those surveyed put the cost at over €50,000.
On average, adults estimated the cost at €34,477, a shortfall of more than €25,000.
More than one in five women accurately estimated that the cost would exceed €50,000, compared to 14% of men.
One in four adults said they believe it would cost just €20,000 – €30,000 to hire someone to take on the responsibilities of a stay-at-home parent, while a further 21% put the cost at between €30,000 – €40,000.
Men, adults aged 18-24, and those over the age of 55 were the groups most likely to estimate the salary at €20,000 – €30,000.
6% of respondents believe the cost would be under €10,000.
“Since the study began in 2015, the estimated annual value of a stay-at-home parent has risen by nearly 50%, yet public perception has not kept pace,” said Karen O’Flaherty, Senior Propositions Executive of Royal London Ireland.
“What really emerges from this year’s findings is how people’s own life stage shapes their understanding of the role.”
“Those who placed the highest value on the work of a stay-at-home parent tend to be in the 35-44 age bracket which is the group most likely to be raising young children themselves and dealing directly with the practical and financial demands it entails.”
“Similarly, adults living in Leinster and Dublin, where childcare and household support services are often more costly, were among the most accurate in their estimates,” Ms O’Flaherty said.
