Resume of A Stay At Home Mom: Carrie Usmar
Artist Statement:
Resume of A Stay At Home Mom
One in five American parents stay home after having children and mothers are roughly four times as likely to be the stay-at-home-parent. I created “Resume of A Stay-At-Home-Mom”, a series of images, to dispel the stereotypes and show the depth of the stay-at-home-mother role, forcing people to re-evaluate their assumptions about stay-at-home mothers. The images display ordinary moments that capture the solitude and sacrifice stay-at-home mothers experience and catalogue the myriad of skills used daily.
When the time comes to figure out what’s next and re-enter the work force, one study from American Sociological Review says stay-at-home mothers are half as likely to get a job interview than unemployed mothers. Employers said they viewed stay-at-home parents as less reliable, less deserving and less committed to work than unemployed parents.
Mothers who do find a job after a gap are often penalized. According to a study from Harvard Business Review, women who spend three years or more out of the workforce lose 37% of their earning power.
I chose to put my camera on a tripod and use interval shooting to capture candid self-portraits with my children to show a realistic view of my experience as a stay-at-home mom unlike the curated views we see on social media. I’ve been a stay-at-home-mother for over 10 years and never felt like it was enough. I was always ashamed when asked “what do you do?”. I’d share about my hobbies and volunteer roles but leave out my primary role of taking care of my children. The process of editing the images and choosing a title that corresponds to a skill on a resume changed my opinion of the role and made me feel seen.
– Carrie Usmar
Biographical:
Carrie Usmar is an artist, writer, and mother living in rural Rhode Island with her husband and four children. She spends her days negotiating with her toddler and tween, managing schedules and logistics, volunteering for school fundraisers and is always “on call”. Living in day-to-day isolation from her peers and raising kids in a never enough culture has made her value the beauty of being real and the art of slowing down. Her narrative work is devoted to exposing shame, being vulnerable, and building connection. She uses a documentary practice to address the stigmas of domestic motherhood.
Usmar received a BFA from the University of Rhode Island with a focus in photography and filmmaking. She has exhibited in group exhibitions at Rhode Island Center For Photographic Arts, Newport Art Museum and The Curated Fridge as well as online exhibitions on The Luupe, L.A. Photo Curator, and Lenscratch. She also received best series in the Women Seen By Women category of the 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Awards and best series in the Culture and Daily Life category in the 18th Pollux Awards. She is also a top 200 finalist for 2022 Critical Mass.
Website: www.carrieusmar.com
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