HYDERABAD : Is your mom happy? Are Indian moms happy, in general? A survey conducted by Momspresso, a mom blogging platform, and research agency Vox Populi revealed that a whopping 70% of moms are unhappy. Momspresso said it conducted the survey with 1,200 moms across metros and non-metros. Many moms after they completing the survey, said, “It’s been a very long time since I had to think so much about myself!” Unfortunate, but true. So what are the findings of the survey?
* 73% of moms don’t feel that they are great moms. Even more surprising however, was that when asked how they feel their children and their husbands would rate them as great mothers, the numbers weren’t much higher (56% and 37% respectively). Do moms really feel as if they are not doing a great job? Or has society and social media portrayed a mother in such an idealized way that mothers don’t feel they are living up to that fictional “perfect mother”?
* 41% of Indian moms feel they are happy in their marriage, and that support from their husbands are a major contributor to their happiness. We learned that moms need to be appreciated. 27% of the “unhappiest moms” in the survey have not received any form of appreciation in the last year, compared to “happiest moms,” 90% of which received some sort of appreciation in the last three months.
* What stresses moms out when it comes to their kids? The top five stressors are: Controlling screen time, food, discipline, exams and extra-curricular activities. Controlling the screen time of their children is the biggest stress point for moms (27% of moms reported this as a pain point).
The survey also hightlighted the fact that women carry the “parental load” with regards to their children’s schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and as the child gets older- doctor visits. Mothers are also increasingly taking on roles that were traditionally the “dads domain” such as disciplining the child, which adds to their load.
Not surprisingly, it was found that moms do not spend time for themselves. 61% of moms spend less than an hour a week with their friends, 73% of moms spend less than an hour a week on personal grooming.
Staying connected “online” is a large part of every mother’s life. Moms spend on average over 2 hours a day on Whatsapp and Facebook.
The main drivers of happiness in moms were, in order of importance:
How good a mom she is
How supportive her husband is
How much me- time she has
Whether she feels that her peers/friends have a better life than her
How financially empowered she is
How supportive her in-laws are
How supportive her work environment is
How much time she spends on household chores