Motherhood by the numbers

Motherhood's facts and figures



One last post of for Mother's Day.



82.8 million: estimated number of mothers in the United States in 2004.

Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation unpublished tabulations



81% of women 40 to 44 are mothers.

Source: Fertility of American Women



2.1: the total fertility rate (TFR) in 2006 — the first time since 1971 that the nation’s TFR was at replacement level, which is the birth rate required to replace the population.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics



4.3 million: number of births in the United States in 2006.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics



25.2: average age of first time mothers in 2005.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics



5.6 million: number of stay-at-home moms in 2006.

Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2006



67% of first-time moms worked during pregnancy in 2001-2003.

(44% of first-time moms worked during pregnancy in 1961-1965.)

Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003



10.4 million single mothers had children younger than 18 in 2006.

(3.4 million single mothers had children younger than 18 in 1970.)

Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2006



55% of mothers with infants were in the labor force in 2004.

Source: Fertility of American Women



49% of U.S. mothers cobble together paid leave following childbirth using sick days, vacation days and disability leave.

Source: MomsRising.org



51%: percentage of new mothers with NO paid leave.

Source: MomsRising.org



4: the number of countries that don't offer paid leave to new mothers (the U.S., Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Lesotho.

Source: MomsRising.org



44%: likelihood that non-mothers are likely to be hired over mothers for the same job (given the exact same resume and experience).

Source: Cornell University



$11,000: gap between what equally-qualified non-mothers and mothers are offered for that same high-salaried job.

Source: Cornell University



10%: the wage gap between women without children and their male counterparts.

27%: the wage gap between mothers and their male counterparts.

33-44%: the wage gap between single moms and their male counterparts

Source: MomsRising.org



$4,000-$10,000: annual cost of childcare per child in the U.S. (babies, toddlers, preschoolers and special-needs kids cost more.)

Source: Karen Schulman, Key Facts: Essential Information about Childcare, Early Education and School-Age Care (Children’s Defense Fund, 2003).



751,322: the number of child care centers in the U.S. in 2005.

Source: County Business Patterns: 2005



6.1 million custodial mothers were entitled to child support in 2005.

Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and their Child Support



54% and 79% of children younger than 6 eat breakfast and dinner, respectively, with their mother every day. (The corresponding figures for dining with dad: 41% and 66%.)

Source: A Child’s Day









(Thanks to ResourceShelf and MomsRising.org)