A new study shows how technology, specifically social media, has affected women in the digital age, both at home and at work. It found that today’s moms could care less about “having their cake and eating it to,” and would rather cuddle up with their smartphones than their husbands. (Sorry, not sorry.)
(Photo Credit: Mike Licht/Flickr)
This fascinating study, conducted by SheKnows.com, surveyed 1,007 American women between the ages of 18 and 65, with mothers being separated into four distinct groups: Millennial Moms (MMs), Working Moms (WMs), Generation X Moms (gXMs), and Stay-at-Home Moms (SAHMs). Here are some key findings from the study:
By Employment Status:
Working Moms dominate most social networks based on number of followers, and upload a variety of photos and videos showcasing their busy lives.
Moms consider technology to be a welcome parenting tool, but Stay-at-Home Moms are the least anxious about the dangers it potentially brings.
By Generation:
With tighter circles and fewer profiles to juggle, Generation X Moms are less likely to be overwhelmed by technology than Millennial Moms.
Millennial Moms are firmly entrenched in the “like-cycle,” more actively focused on cultivating their online identities, and more collaborative in defining themselves.
(Source: SheKnows and Harris Interactive: Marketing to the “Likeable” Mom)
The study’s findings suggest that Working Moms enjoy the interaction that social media allows them, which takes some of the pressure off of them to stay connected with family and friends constantly. Millennial Mothers (born between 1978 and 1995) who were born into the technology era, find that social media brings them the means to explore and express their identities with their communities, which satiates the need for the attention and purpose this generation craves. But is technology helping or hurting the modern-day mom?
When it comes to juggling a family and a career, technology has proved to be a working mother’s best friend. Social media serves as a way for WMs to “document and validate their family time,” while new-age mobile apps help mom manage her busy work schedule and also tend to her family’s needs (most of the time). “Eighty-three percent of Generation X women believe technology helps them achieve a better work/life balance, as do 78 percent of women in the general population, and 76 percent of Millennials,” according to the study. However, Millennial women also feel that technology has contributed to their lives feeling more overwhelming – 53 percent, to be exact. Truth be told, the most fascinating finding of the study is that, “MMs would still rather give up sex, TV, or dessert than their smartphones.” Sometimes the truth hurts, guys.
Many of our readers will agree that lying in bed at night and scrolling through social news feeds or pinning your dreams on Pinterest is now considered “quality time” with your significant other. We are so connected online, but so disengaged in real life. It seems that sending a text message to your husband, who’s in the kitchen, requesting that he bring you a glass of water is totally normal nowadays. Where’s the love?
If there’s any good that comes out of technology, it’s that social media is enabling working mothers to feel validated in their efforts as business women and as mothers, while SAHMs are able to connect and share with other mothers online who also raise their kids full-time. At the end of the day, if social media serves the purpose of empowering a woman to be her best self in and out of the home, then we say, “More power to you!”
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