NEW YORK, May 3, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new, proprietary study of working mothers, conducted by iVillage and TODAY.com, two leaders in the women's digital space, The 2011 Moms At Work Survey found that salary outranks the desire for family-friendly benefits when it comes to job priorities – with 97% of working moms surveyed saying that salary is most important to them, followed by a family-friendly work environment (91%), job enjoyment (91%), flexible hours (86%), a short commute (83%) and health insurance for the family (81%).
Eight out of ten working mothers polled are earning at least half or more of their household's income. On top of that, more than two-thirds (68%) of working moms reported they are still responsible for most of the household chores – clearly illustrating that today's working mother is spending her life on double duty, with increased responsibilities at the office and at home.
"Not surprisingly, the biggest source of pride and joy for working moms are their families, but in today's fragile economy, salary needs to be the top priority, with work-life balance coming in closely behind," said Kelly Wallace, Chief Correspondent, iVillage. She added, "Unfortunately, what working moms have the least time for is themselves – something to keep in mind as we think of ways to pamper mom on Mother's Day."
The study also found:
- Although 90% of working moms feel tired and stressed, over 85% feel happy and proud.
- All moms, whether they are working or not, continue to be responsible for the majority of the household chores. In two-thirds of dual working families, moms are responsible for 75% or more of all the household chores, with 97% of those surveyed responsible for half or more of the duties in the house.
- 68% of women polled would trade in their executive assistant for an assistant at home.
- Women aren't receiving a passing grade when it comes to healthy habits. 77% agree that juggling work and family makes it hard to live a healthy lifestyle with close to 25% of moms reporting that they are not allowed to get sick!
- While the good news is that 59% of women surveyed are satisfied with the amount of time spent with their children, almost half, 47%, are not satisfied with the amount of time spent keeping fit/healthy.
- 23% of working moms polled would welcome increased support from friends and family, and 41% want more support from their husband/partner to make their lives easier.
- Part-time working moms are closest to achieving work-life balance, with 46% reporting that they are "busy but balanced: I've found harmony between work and home," compared to just 20% of full-time working moms who can say the same.
- Merely 3 out of 10 women are happy with the amount of time they are able to spend alone with their partners once out of the office.
- Today's working mom is more mobile than ever before! 67% of working moms rely on their smart phone to make their lives easier.
"Overall, the survey paints a picture of the modern working mom – stressed and often frazzled, but also proud and happy to be bringing home the bacon and frying it up in a pan," said Rebecca Dube, Senior Editor, TODAYMoms.com. "Now if we could all just get personal assistants, we'd be set!"
To celebrate Mother's Day, iVillage has gathered a compilation of personal anecdotes from moms who've achieved great success in their career – including HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Natalie Morales, Jennifer Garner, Samantha Bee, Deborah Norville, and Mayim Bialik, among others – about their transitions back to work after becoming a parent. Found at www.ivillage.com/workingmoms, these funny, poignant, inspiring stories capture a moment that exemplified for them the challenge of balancing motherhood and career.
Methodology
Total of 760 working mothers with kids under 15 years of age participated in the study.
About iVillage
iVillage is the largest content-driven community for women online reaching 30 + million unique visitors per month (comScore March 2011). With over four million plus conversations annually and thousands of specific brands talked about weekly, iVillage is at the center of her digital routine. Every day, women come to iVillage to connect, share advice, find life tools and engage in conversations that matter most to them in the areas of Pregnancy & Parenting, Health, Food, Entertainment and Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage include iVillage UK, Digital Works @ NBCU, Astrology.com and GardenWeb. iVillage Inc., is based in New York City, and is part of the NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media Group. Join iVillage's Facebook group at www.facebook.com/ivillage and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ivillage.
About TODAY.com
TODAY.com is the online home for America's No. 1 morning program. TODAY.com is the first stop for consumers interested in news, advice and lifestyle information of all kinds. In addition to interviews and tips from NBC's TODAY, the site offers a behind-the-scenes blog and regular expert columns on everything from food and fashion and parenting and relationships. TODAY.com also offers original web-only reporting and interactive features to help make sense of the latest news and trends. Join the conversation at www.TODAY.com and http://www.facebook.com/today. TODAY.com. Don't miss a moment.