纽约保姆奇货可居 年薪高达18万美元 New York nannies are in high demand, with annual salaries reaching as high as $18

在世界大都市纽约，保姆的价格很夸张，年薪高达18万美元。

纽约不愧为国际大都市。1%的最富阶层在这里聚居。最近《纽约时报杂志》上发表一篇文章，标出了典型的精英保姆的价码：年薪18万美元，公寓月租3000美元，另外还要有圣诞节的奖金。保姆达到这个身价，可以相当快。文中的核心人物是一个巴西来的保姆，从小很苦，但哄孩子有天分。九十年代刚刚到加州当保姆，一周就挣100美元。通过纽约一家高档保姆公司找工作，年薪立即达到8.5万美元。如今，她挣的就是前面提到的价码。各种福利加起来，已经富富有余地跃入年薪20万的阶层，比一般的儿科医生收入还高。她现在已经给每个家人都买了房，自己在巴西有海滨独居。她自豪地说：“我家里不再有穷人了。”

In New York City, a global metropolis, nanny prices are outrageous, reaching as high as $180,000 a year.

New York City truly lives up to its reputation as an international metropolis. The wealthiest 1% of the population resides here. A recent article in *The New York Times Magazine* outlined the typical price tag for an elite nanny: an annual salary of $180,000, a monthly apartment rent of $3,000, plus a Christmas bonus. A nanny can reach this level of earning power quite quickly. The article's central figure is a nanny from Brazil who experienced hardship in her childhood but possessed a natural talent for childcare. Upon arriving in California as a nanny in the 1990s, she earned $100 a week. Finding work through a high-end nanny agency in New York, her annual salary immediately jumped to $85,000. Today, she earns the aforementioned price. With all the benefits combined, she comfortably leaps into the $200,000 annual salary bracket, earning more than the average pediatrician. She has now bought homes for every member of her family and lives alone on a beachfront property in Brazil. She proudly states, "There are no poor people in my family anymore."

保姆身价为何这么高？主要是“新富”在纽约太集中，把精英保姆的价码抬高的，主要是这些人。

精英保姆身价中的种种因素，除了善于带孩子外，最重要的恐怕就是对所服务的家庭有着百分之百的献身精神，一切安排得仔细周到，使繁忙的父母不再需要为孩子操心。另外，这些保姆还必须具备其他多种素质，比如能作一手好菜，能说法文；最近随着中国的崛起，能说中文也成了保姆的卖点；能骑马驯马，能驾船…… 凡此种种加起来，你最后就发现，称职的候选人实在太少，非常供不应求。

Why are nannies so expensive? Mainly because the newly wealthy are concentrated in New York, and these are the main drivers of the high prices for elite nannies.

Among the factors contributing to the high price of elite nannies, besides their skill in childcare, the most important is probably their complete dedication to the families they serve. They arrange everything meticulously and thoughtfully, relieving busy parents of the burden of childcare. In addition, these nannies must possess many other qualities, such as being an excellent cook, speaking French (and recently, with China's rise, speaking Mandarin has also become a selling point); being able to ride horses, train horses, and drive boats… All these factors combined result in a severe shortage of qualified candidates, creating a significant supply-demand imbalance.

“新富”是自己奋斗出来的，深感“素质”是多么重要，对自己的孩子，从一生下来就不敢放松，因而对保姆特别挑剔，好保姆立即身价百倍。不过，这种起跑线上的竞争未免有些神经兮兮。

纽约保姆奇货可居，造成了一个奇怪的市场。当然，普通许多保姆还是15到18美元一小时。Jeanne Brook-Gunn教授在哥伦比亚大学专门研究儿童和家庭的一位研究生，也在课余当保姆打工，一小时17美元。这是一个没有上过大学的移民保姆都能挣得到的。如果说保姆属于早教领域的话，这个领域的教育附加值可以低到零。这样的领域在当今的世道几乎已经找不到了。不过，这位研究生只愿意为她喜欢的父母工作，而且对方必须给她足够的时间专注于自己的学业，不去无条件地扮演母亲的替身。

The newly wealthy, having achieved their wealth through hard work, deeply understand the importance of "quality" in their children's upbringing. They are extremely selective about their nannies from birth, making good nannies instantly command exorbitant prices. However, this competition at the starting line can be somewhat neurotic.

The scarcity of nannies in New York has created a strange market. Of course, many ordinary nannies still earn $15 to $18 an hour. Jeanne Brook-Gunn, a graduate student at Columbia University specializing in children and families, also works as a nanny in her spare time, earning $17 an hour. This is something even immigrant nannies without a college education can earn. If nannying falls under the field of early childhood education, the added value of education in this field can be as low as zero. Such a field is almost impossible to find in today's world. However, this graduate student is only willing to work for parents she likes, and the employer must give her enough time to focus on her studies, not unconditionally act as a substitute for a mother.

所有这些，也许从一个侧面说明了许多“新富”成功的代价：她们把自己的生活、自己的天伦之乐都外包出去。二十世纪后半期大盛的发展心理学的“依恋理论”认为，孩子和父母之间的纽带，是孩子一生心理健康和智力发育的基础。从理论上说，孩子和保姆也能建立健康的依恋纽带。但是，保姆不可能跟孩子十几年，最终还是无法替代父母。你不管把保姆的价钱炒到多高，世上有些东西，还是钱买不到的。

All of this perhaps illustrates, from one perspective, the price many newly wealthy people pay for their success: they outsource their lives and family happiness. The "attachment theory," a developmental psychology theory that flourished in the latter half of the 20th century, posits that the bond between children and parents is the foundation of a child's lifelong mental health and intellectual development. Theoretically, children and nannies can also establish healthy attachment bonds. However, nannies cannot stay with children for over a decade and ultimately cannot replace parents. No matter how high you inflate nanny fees, there are some things in this world that money cannot buy.