Mum's the word ? Women navigate motherhood differently than in ...

She is taking care of business at home and on the job. She is savvy about caring for herself and her family ? even if it sometimes gets overwhelming. She taps the Internet for information and resources to lighten her load, ease her mind and share her burdens. Increasingly, she not only controls the purse strings, she?s putting a bigger share in the purse. She?s ?the New Mom,? according to a recent report by Waterford, Mich.- based Sphere Trending, compiled for Inforum, a professional women?s alliance in Michigan.

It?s the second in a series of reports commissioned by the alliance to examine the status of women in 2010. ?This report confirms the growing power and influence that moms have,? says Terry Barclay, Inforum president and CEO. ?It?s starting to reach a point that they?re such a critical mass that employers are going to have to help families balance work and family. ?It used to be moms were the sole carriers of that banner. This gives us a chance to reframe the challenges as challenges of parents, not just women?s issues.?

Employers attempting to attract top talent, many of whom are women, must recognize that more workers come with a different mind-set ? a mind-set that says I don?t want to choose between a career and a family and I?m not going to kill myself to achieve work-family balance, Barclay says. According to the report, America is increasingly becoming a more matriarchal society. ?As the economy shifts from a manufacturing economy ? depending on muscle ? to more service and creative industries, the jobs are changing,? says Susan Yashinsky, vice president for marketing for Sphere Trending.

?At the same time, more women are becoming much more educated and more of a force in the economy.?

Job growth will be greatest in those fields dominated by women, particularly the service industry, while declining in the manufacturing fields dominated by men, Yashinsky says. The report compiles data from diverse research and trend information, Yashinsky says. For the report, Sphere looked at the status of mothers in categories ranging from Prime Timers (senior citizens) to Zoomers ? baby boomers zooming through life ? to Generation Now (women usually living in the moment, capturing life on iPhones, iPads and iTunes).

10 FACTS AND STATS FROM THE REPORT ?Women in 2010: The New Mom?

1. New Moms are the beneficiaries of decades of equality struggles resulting in higher education, greater job opportunities and more lifestyle choices.

2. New Moms have evolved from the ?secondclass citizen? of the 1950s to a key decision-maker at home and work.

3. New Moms have been raised on the Internet and rely on a Web community of strangers as well as close personal friendships.

4. Today?s working wife brings home 42 percent of the family income. But four of 10 mothers ? many of them single women ? are the primary breadwinners in their families.

5. The New Mom makes dinner 3.5 nights a week, goes out 1.2 times a week and brings home a prepared meal 1.3 times a week.

6. The caregiving stage of today?s mom extends as young adults live at home for longer periods of time and moms help care for aging parents.

7. A market of ?mompreneurs? is blossoming as women find creative ways to add to their household income. An industry growing to address their needs includes blogs, Web sites, books, magazines and support groups.

8. The New Mom is smart about shopping for best deals online and consulting her peers about ways to stretch a dollar.

9. The New Mom educates herself to make smart decisions about the health and safety of herself and her family.

10. The impact of the New Mom?s influence is evident in products ranging from automobiles and office furniture to the growth in ready-made meals. ? MCT

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Source: http://new.kuwaittimes.net/2012/03/08/mums-the-word-women-navigate-motherhood-differently-than-in-the-past/

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