Childcare Workers Make Less Than Janitors

[Josiegirl]

One reply said most child care workers are part time and get paid under the table. Really??? They're talking about their Saturday night babysitters, not those who make it their profession. Some people should just not reply.

[Fiddlesticks]

Is that before or after taxes? My income sounds really good....before taxes. Then I give a lot back for self-employment tax and all that, plus all the materials, equipment, etc., etc., we buy. Let's face it, running a daycare isn't cheap but people don't realize that.

This is a complicated question. My total income, minus my total direct expenses exceeds any former income I have received. But my schedule C takes deductions for my home that significantly decreases my taxable income. I do not consider this a decrease in pay, because I have a mortgage and other home expenses with or without daycare. I was a preschool teacher, then a home daycare provider, then an elementary teacher, and back to a home daycare provider, so I have a strong basis for my comparison; my bottom line is better as a home daycare provider. Also, I spent a ton of my own money both in the preschool classroom and the elementary classroom but was only able to deduct $250 per year, with daycare every penny spent is deductible. I have nine full time daycare children, and live in an area in need of more child care options (ie:daycare is expensive here) for comparison's sake.

[Ariana]

I tend to agree with this ^^^ statement. I know that women go into engineering and technical fields, but they are heavily dominated by the guys. I have a master's and I made $48k and change during my first year as a teacher. With my school district, I would have topped out at about $77k. (After 15 years). My DH has an associates in a technical field and is an industrial maintenance technician. He makes more with his associates than I would have topped out at as a teacher. :confused:.

Yep and as we all know women in these fields make less than their male counterparts (same job, same credentials). I think it's the old idea that men are the breadwinners and women just supplement their income. It's starting to get old though because many women are now breadwinners.

The amount of jobs that men can do with little to no education and make excellent wages at is mind boggling.

[daycarediva]

I tend to agree with this ^^^ statement. I know that women go into engineering and technical fields, but they are heavily dominated by the guys. I have a master's and I made $48k and change during my first year as a teacher. With my school district, I would have topped out at about $77k. (After 15 years). My DH has an associates in a technical field and is an industrial maintenance technician. He makes more with his associates than I would have topped out at as a teacher. :confused:.

That's simply because STEM fields make more money. Women tend to chose more civil service positions that make less money, regardless of degree. It makes for very skewed results when researching men/women pay structures.

[spedmommy4]

That's simply because STEM fields make more money. Women tend to chose more civil service positions that make less money, regardless of degree. It makes for very skewed results when researching men/women pay structures.

True. I just think it is incredibly sad that the field of elementary/secondary education requires graduate level training and pays so poorly.

[Ariana]

That's simply because STEM fields make more money. Women tend to chose more civil service positions that make less money, regardless of degree. It makes for very skewed results when researching men/women pay structures.

They make less pay for the same jobs. STEM jobs are male dominated. You'd be hard pressed to find a male dominated field that doesn't pay a TON. Even male nurses get paid more than females for the EXACT same job.

The results are not skewed at all. Research has been done on women working the same jobs and they make less pay all across the board. They aren't comparing all male jobs to all female jobs. That is a myth and where a lot of people get confused. My husband makes about $30K more than his female co-worker who has been in the field for the same amount of time, same degree.