A useful comparison does not tell anyone what their household should choose. It shows which assumptions are carrying the decision, and lets people change them together.
Put assumptions on the table
The calculus is not a verdict. It is a set of costs, care, and time made visible.
Compare two household paths with your own numbers. No universal answer. No invented data. Just a clearer place to start the conversation.
Compare the pathsSee the methodWhat does each path leave your household with?
Your monthly assumptions
Home labor value is an optional estimate of paid help, lost services, or work you would otherwise need to buy. It is not a wage claim.
Live comparison
Paid work disposable income$0
Stay-home household contribution$0
Difference$0
Time difference0 h
Method
Paid work = gross pay minus estimated taxes, care, and work costs. Staying home = the entered replacement value of care and home labor.
Use with care
Health coverage, career trajectory, family preference, safety, identity, and unpaid labor are real even when no spreadsheet captures them. This is a starting point for a conversation, not a scorecard.