Meanings
nounmommy tax (plural mommy taxes)
plural mommy taxes
- CanadaUSinformalThe opportunity cost of motherhood; the income that women do not earn because they have become mothers.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:mommy tax.
Origin
Coined by American journalist Ann Crittenden.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
mommy tax. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mommy%20tax
MLA
“mommy tax.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mommy%20tax. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mommy tax,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mommy%20tax.
Source: mommy tax on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.