Advertising Age recently published The New Female Consumer: The Rise of the Real Mom.
The whitepaper is about how companies can reach a younger generation of women with children, including those who work full-time, those who are "stay-at-home" moms, or who fall somewhere in between. But there are lessons here for nonprofits that need to reach this demographic just as much as corporations.
Here are some observations about "real moms" from the study:
- They don't aspire to perfection. The days of the wonder woman who brought home the bacon, fried it up in a pan, and still pleased her man are pretty much gone. Younger women are realistic and know they can't do it all...or at least not perfectly. They can let some things go, as long as it is not to the detriment of their families.
- They are subverting the "mommy trap." Young women are finding ways around the stark either/or choice of motherhood and forfeit a career or hire a nanny and get ahead professionally. They mix it up by working part-time, dropping out of work for a period, or finding unconventional ways of keeping up their professional skills. They no longer feel like traitors to the women's movement if they choose not to put work first.
- Women are wealthier than ever. Between 1990 and 2006, women's median income rose by 32.9%, while the income of men rose only 6.3%, a fact that has only been exacerbated during the recession. Unfortunately, pay inequity persists with women earning, on average, only 77.1% of what men earn.
- Women still do most of the childcare and household chores, whatever their working status. Although "Mr. Moms" are becoming more plentiful, traditional gender roles persist, with women as chief nurturers.
- Women as consumers are focused on value and price. "Cheap is chic" for increasingly savvy women shoppers. Cheap and pragmatic go together, especially for the younger group. They might use disposable paper plates to cut down on kitchen time, or buy a precooked meal if it means more time with the kids, without feeling that they are falling short of an idealized standard for motherhood.
- Women are time crunched, multitasking, and online. Younger women, especially, seek out online groups that let them share and be themselves. They both create and use peer-to-peer online content. Thus the popularity of mommy blogs and other online communities.
- Women are socially conscious and help drive cause marketing. Women are still undervalued. They suffer from persistent wage inequity, feel they are not always listened to, and are keenly aware of social needs. They want a better world for their children. They are drawn to good causes and prefer to buy from companies that are socially responsible.
Companies have learned that women expect them to champion good causes, and many have gone beyond just marketing to incorporating those causes into their corporate stories. Consider Macy's, which works with the American Heart Association and Feeding America; Ford, with its sponsorship of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure; and Dove, with its efforts to improve the self-esteem of women and girls with its "real beauty" campaign.
How can you apply these traits of modern women to your organization's fundraising, volunteer recruitment, online communities, and corporate partnerships? Are you ready for the technologically savvy, pragmatic, and socially-conscious Real Moms?
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