Does Australia Appreciate Its Mums?

June 29, 2012 - PRLog -- Survey of 2,071 Australian mums reveal their priorities for Today, Tomorrow and Life.

More than half of Aussie mums believe their role isn’t widely recognised in Australian society, according to a survey by Virgin Money. Nearly half of those involved in the study also felt celebrity mums portrayed an unrealistic view of motherhood.

The study also discovered that Aussie mums are most concerned about economic prospects when thinking about their child’s future. More than 65% of mums involved in the study were concerned about the big issues of economic security, social disruption, terrorism and conflict.

Interestingly, concerns about the environment and technology saturation in their child’s lives aren’t seen as a huge worry. Only 7% of mums were apprehensive about the increase of technology in their child’s life, suggesting that the majority of Aussie mums are now comfortable with the role technology plays in their child’s development.

Mums surveyed believe the most important choices they can make during their youngsters’ early years to positively influence their future are related to education, a healthy diet and love. Encouraging an interest in sport, exercise and creativity were considered less important.

Danielle Williams, Virgin Money Australia’s Marketing Director (and mother of two) said, “Mums obviously play a pivotal role in the protection of their family’s future. We wanted to know what keeps our Aussie mums awake at night (once the little ones are finally asleep), so that we can help empower them by ensuring they’re prepared for whatever life throws at them. That’s what life insurance is all about – protecting your family for tomorrow.”

Aussie mum of four and Mummy Smiles blogger, Natalie Birt, believes the study accurately voices the opinions of mums. “The results are certainly reflective of how I, and many mothers I know, feel,” she said. “The portrayal of celebrity mums in the media every day makes us think that life should be easy - that it's all about the latest hairstyles and fitting back into pre-pregnancy jeans. But we know that motherhood is so much more than that. We worry about the choices we make for our children. Motherhood is a joy - an incredible honour, and also a huge responsibility."

When it came to their child’s future, the study revealed that more Aussie mums wanted their child to be fulfilled through creativity and sport than financial wealth. This is despite most mums being concerned about the economic instability of their child’s future. As expected, the large majority of Aussie mums simply hope that their child is happy and content in the future.

Key findings from the study include:

 1)   More than half of mums feel that their contribution is not widely recognised within Australian society today.
 2)   59% of Aussie mums aren’t impressed with coverage of celebrity mums.
 3)   More than 65% of mums involved in the study were concerned about the big issues of economic security, social disruption, terrorism and conflict.
 4)   A very large portion of Aussie families do not have adequate life insurance. The research revealed 32% of parents do not have life insurance for their family, and another 8% don’t know if they’re covered.