Former Stay-At-Home Mom Explains Why So Many Divorced Moms Become Real Estate Agents
In a society hyper-focused on climbing the corporate ladder, it's people like divorced moms who face the consequences.
fizkes / Shutterstock With the growing unaffordability of daily life and childcare, it’s no surprise that there are more stay-at-home parents than ever before. In fact, according to research from Motherly, double the amount of women gave up their jobs to stay home with their children in 2023, compared to the year prior.
For many families, this situation is ideal — one person works while the other cares for their children, and by the time they’re out of the house, it’s time to retire. But that’s the perfect scenario — in the event of divorce, things get incredibly tricky, with many stay-at-home moms facing the brunt of the consequences.
So, why are many divorced moms, specifically those who used to stay at home, working in jobs like real estate after separating from their partner? The answer is multifaceted, but life coach and author Meredyth Willits experienced it firsthand and admitted on TikTok that the underlying cause is slightly insidious.
This former stay-at-home mom explained the real reason why so many real estate agents are divorced moms.
Willits admitted that after a divorce several years prior, she was forced to re-enter the workforce. With a decade-long gap in her resume and a four-year degree, the best she was able to find was a semi-remote job that paid nearly $12 an hour. It’s why so many women choose to pursue real estate — it pays well, no work experience is required, and there’s a ton of flexibility.
“They’re stay-at-home moms for years, maybe a decade or so. They end up getting a divorce for whatever reason … and they have no work history,” she explained. “They need to make a [expletive] ton of money to pay for daycare. Maybe they also need the freedom to pick up their kids and take them to sports."
"They need to make a lot of money to support their kids and themselves,” she added. "And the only way to do that is to become a real estate agent."
It’s an explanation as to why almost 70% of real estate agents are female — with a huge percentage of those being ex-stay-at-home moms. The flexibility, pay, and prerequisites make for a perfect opportunity.
Photo: Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock
While their partners ‘climb the corporate ladder,’ make money, and gain work experience, stay-at-home moms put themselves at risk.
It’s next to impossible to find a well-paying job without relevant experience. For stay-at-home moms, even if they do have some kind of experience, it’s likely from over a decade ago. It’s this struggle that makes it near impossible for divorced moms to properly care for themselves and their children, and it goes deeper than just money.
“When I got a divorce, I had to finish my college degree — which included childcare, and loans with no way to get them … my alimony payment was $300 a month, for years of working in the home and raising the children,” Willits shared.
Many divorced moms lose a lot more than an income when they decide to split — often also giving up health insurance, the ability to purchase a home or apply for a loan, vehicles for transportation, or extended family. It’s for this reason, and many others, that many women find themselves “stuck” in toxic relationships or dangerous situations, fearful that leaving will present even more struggle.
“When we got a divorce … he got the rental properties, the marital home, his 401K,” Willits admitted of her divorce. “I had to get a job just so that I could have health benefits because you don’t keep them when divorced.”
In the event of divorce, it’s incredibly difficult for stay-at-home moms to find employment and care for their kids.
“You’re blamed for not watching your kids, but you’re also blamed for not getting a job — how that’s supposed to happen is beyond me,” Willits said. “The thing that sucks about this is that even when you do work as a female, the household and child-rearing labor is still placed on your shoulders," she added. "You come home and have to do the home labor.”
Despite the current tradwife trend leading many to embrace somewhat misguided gender roles, Willit uses her platform to help other moms prepare for a potential divorce. While it might seem inconceivable to imagine, the possibility is important to prepare for, even if that means doing some freelance work or drafting a prenup.
“In my opinion, the ‘trad wife’ situation … is more about understanding that when you enter a marriage and have no intentions of working, you’re putting yourself at a huge disadvantage if that marriage fails,” she warned.
There are millions of divorced moms today struggling to balance the cost of childcare, food, and rent while working full-time to provide for their children. Most of these moms never expected to be a single parent, get a divorce, or need to work again. It’s important to set the foundation for a potential career or make connections with people now, both for your well-being and that of your children.
"Protect yourself," Willit urged viewers, "especially if you're going to be a stay-at-home wife."
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture and human interest stories.