S/O: Working Moms Pay & Hours

[Anonymous]

My income has been $650,000 to $750,000 for the last few years. I have two kids, 5 and 8. I have a lot of autonomy and a modicum of flexibility. I have been in my career and at my firm for 25 years and key is to have your own clients/business, develop a subject matter expertise and find a niche you excel at and enjoy. I am a lawyer and hours fluctuate but around 50 total a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:40y social worker making 75k. No, it isn't as impressive as many of you, but pretty decent for social work with no weekends/nights and a pretty standard 8 hr/work day. Plus, I love what I do and can't imagine doing anything else.

Thank god, after all these 6 figure folks I was starting to feel real pathetic over here with my 68k/40hr a week gig. Also a SW. But it's true, 75k is great for SW. And I do get satisfaction from what I do and in my current role I enjoy very reasonable work life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very flexible job ... DD is just about a year and am pregnant with #2. I don't make a ton of money (only $63K a year) but work 4 days a week from home and 1 day in the office.

Job is very flexible so I can drop off DD to daycare around 8:30 and pick up around 4:45ish. During the day while working I can also get dinner made, clean up around the house and throw laundry in. Plus I have time to work out and get groceries if needed. I seriously have no idea how people work out of the house and can get everything done at home and have kids. Stuff around the house/cooking/laundry and most kid stuff falls on me. DH is big law (makes around $250K) and works long hours but I knew all of this going in.

I don't clean up at all during the week. Do one load of laundry each night after dinner. Do 30 minute or fewer meals and cook double.

[Anonymous]

$60k, 30hrs/wk (9:30-3:30 standard work day including lunch, plus a couple extra hours here and there). WAH 4 days a week, in the office one.

My salary sucks, but work/life balance is great, and I'm able to advance despite the flex schedule, so for now I stay. Kids are 4 & 6. I work at a non-profit

[Anonymous]

I don't think 60k is a sucky salary. Everyone is in different positions, different fields, different places in their lives... and I strongly suspect the happiness gained from each dollar starts to increasingly diminish after about 100k or so.

There's no reason to feel inadequate about your salary if it is working for you. If it's not working for you, then that's a problem. But there will always be people who make less and make more. Does it make them more or less worthy than you? No.

I'm not as surprised by the $$ as I am by all the flexibility people have. No nights/weekends/being tethered to your phone 24-7 and making 6 figures? Sign me up!

[Anonymous]

$80k, teleworking 2/week and as needed. Work 830-5. Never work evenings or wknds. Also social worker. Love it!

[Anonymous]

Marketing - 35 - $120k - work 8-530, minimal nights and weekends; short commute. DD is 6 mo old.

I chose this job because of hours and commute but I hate it. I'm considering worse terms/pay to follow my passion. DH is opposed as I do 95% of child related stuff.

I love my kid but hate that I'm stuck career wise.

[Anonymous]

$80k as a reporter covering Congress for a major news outlet that recently let me drop to 4 days a week (and I gave up 20 percent of salary).

Job is exciting and prestigious but as a mother of two young kids I no longer care about that at all and want reliable hours, the ability to WAH most days and attend events with kids. Expected to be tethered to work email/cell until midnight, even on days off -- benefits are great however.

[Anonymous]

120,000. Local gov't lawyer. FT. But a 37.5 work week. I work 9-5:30 and a 5 minute commute, includes an hour lunch I rarely take. I used to work PT and made $50,000 at 20 hours a week.

[Anonymous]

$100,000 and work about 30 hours a week. My hours are such that I am able to pick my kids up from school. Used to work full time but was difficult. My hours now are perfect.

[Anonymous]

In-house lawyer, 40, with two kids in early elementary. I make $175K with a 20% bonus. I never work evenings or weekends and have a ton of flexibility with hours and telecommuting. When I am on vacation, I am completely off the grid and nobody cares. I like my company and love my boss, but the work is not always the most challenging. Honestly, I can get my 40 hour a week job done in about 2/3 of that time during most weeks. Sometimes I regret bailing out of Big Law when I see how much more money my friends are making, but I'm also way less stressed about my work-life balance.