If women ruled the world, stay-at-home moms would earn an annual salary equal to or more than $100,000. That’s according to a new poll from Woman’s Day magazine and AOL.com, which found that more than half (52 percent) of women would pay a stay-at-home mom this annual salary.

When examining why mothers choose to work outside the home, a majority (52 percent) stated they work because the family needs the money, while only one in four (26 percent) of those polled admitted they have a career they enjoy. Nearly one in ten (7 percent) said the primary reason they work is to be able to save for their child’s college fund.

The poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 American women, provides insight into the triumphs and trials of motherhood. The complete findings are highlighted in the May 8 issue of Woman’s Day magazine.

When asked about the joys of motherhood, overwhelmingly, 73 percent of women found their child’s early years, infancy through age 3, the most enjoyable. Interestingly, when asked which stage of their child’s life was most challenging, 47 percent cited those same years (infancy and the terrible twos) while 48 percent of mothers said the tween and teen years were most difficult for them.

For the majority of those polled, the hardest part about being a mom is finding time to be alone. Maybe that’s because a majority of mothers are running the household. In fact, 39 percent said that while their husbands help with major decisions, it’s up to them to take care of their child’s daily needs.

Meanwhile, 33 percent said their husbands pretty much leave everything up to them.
Fortunately, couple time reigns supreme for many moms and dads. In fact, 39 percent of moms said that if their husbands were able to spend more time at home, they’d use that time to just enjoy being a couple rather than tending to household chores.

Turning to pop culture, 49 percent of those polled said Debra Barone from “Everybody Loves Raymond” was the TV mom most like themselves, with Clair Huxtable from “The Cosby Show” (24 percent), Lorelai Gilmore of “Gilmore Girls” (20 percent) and Bree Van De Kamp of “Desperate Housewives” (7 percent) rounding out the list.

Source: ARA content