Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Mums see themselves as ‘doing it all’
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- Figure 1: What being a ‘good mother’ means, March 2016
- Finding alternatives to sedentary entertainment
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- Figure 2: Activities that bring families together, March 2016
- Incorporating educational value into character merchandise
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- Figure 3: Perceptions of products with characters on pack, March 2016
- Mums’ ambitions for their kids
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- Figure 4: Mothers’ attitudes towards raising children, March 2016
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Making sure the kids are alright
- The facts
- The implications
- Setting up good habits through character merchandising
- The facts
- The implications
- Selling convenience to modern parents
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- The baby boom subsides
- Rising diversity of families
- Rising costs of childcare hit lower income parents
- Reliance on family grows for families with under-5s
- Grandparents’ contribution to childcare recognised
Market Drivers
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- Number of mothers
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- Figure 5: Number of mothers and fathers with dependent children in the household, UK, 2005-15
- Number of live births
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- Figure 6: Total fertility rate (TFR) and number of live births, England and Wales, 2009-14
- Family composition
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- Figure 7: UK families (thousands), 2010 and 2015
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- Figure 8: Family composition – dependent children, March 2016
- Mums’ working status
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- Figure 9: Working status of mothers, March 2016
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- Figure 10: Average hourly cost of a childminder for a child aged 2+, England, 2005 to 2014
- Parents’ support network
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- Figure 11: Informal childcare hours by age, UK, 2005-14
- Figure 12: Who helps look after children in a typical week, by working status, March 2016
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- A ‘good mum’ prioritises healthy family nutrition
- Technology as a babysitter
- Character merchandising with added value
- Children’s education is a top concern
- Shared parental leave: one year on
Maternity Leave and Family Finances
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- 38% of mums went back to work after their child’s first birthday
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- Figure 13: Age of youngest child when mother went back to work after maternity, March 2016
- Work doesn’t cover childcare for lower earning mums
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- Figure 14: Age of youngest child when mother went back to work after maternity, by current financial situation, March 2016
- Family finances OK on balance
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- Figure 15: Financial situation compared to a year ago, March 2016
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- Figure 16: Sentiment about financial situation over the next year or so, March 2016
What it Means to be a ‘Good Mother’
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- Good mums ‘do it all’
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- Figure 17: What being a ‘good mother’ means, March 2016
- Finding authenticity on social media
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- Figure 18: Front page of the motherpukka.com website, April 2016
- Working mums are under more strain
- Helping mums take care of family health
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- Figure 19: Screenshot of the Eat & Move-O-Matic mobile all, April 2016
- Priorities shift as children grow older
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- Figure 20: Selected qualities of a ‘good mother’, by age group of youngest child, March 2016
Moments That Bring Families Together
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- Families prioritise outside activities
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- Figure 21: Activities that bring families together, March 2016
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- Figure 22: ‘Come home to play’ campaign from IKEA, April 2016
- Moving away from sedentary entertainment
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- Figure 23: Activities that bring families together – Watching TV, by age group of youngest child, March 2016
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- Figure 24: Screenshot from This Girl Can campaign, April 2016
- Going back to tradition
How Kids Occupy Themselves if Mum is Busy
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- Leaving kids to digital devices
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- Figure 25: How children occupy themselves when mums are busy/not around, by age group of youngest child, March 2016
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- Figure 26: Screenshot from the Dumb Ways to Die campaign, April 2016
- Technology overtakes traditional play amongst teens
Mums’ Attitudes towards Kids’ Entertainment Sources and Technology Use
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- TV programmes – go-to source of entertainment
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- Figure 27: Correspondence analysis – Associations with children’s entertainment sources, March 2016
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- Figure 28: Associations with children’s entertainment sources, March 2016
- There is an app for that
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- Figure 29: Mums’ attitudes towards children using technology, March 2016
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- Figure 30: Mums’ attitudes towards children using technology, by mums’ working status, March 2016
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- Figure 31: Screenshot from Zemcar website, April 2016
- Wearable technologies can provide reassurance for parents
Attitudes towards Character Merchandising
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- Characters are the biggest draw for younger kids
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- Figure 32: Purchases of products with well-known characters on-pack, by age group of youngest child, March 2016
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- Figure 33: New product launches in food with characters on packaging, 2015-16
- Earning parents’ trust
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- Figure 34: Perceptions of products with characters on pack, March 2016
- Simplifying family routines
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- Figure 35: New product launches in health and hygiene with characters on packaging, 2015
- Kids aged 3-7 are the biggest collectors of character merchandise
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- Figure 36: Perceptions of products with characters on pack, March 2016
Mums’ Concerns
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- Children’s safety – biggest concern
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- Figure 37: Mums’ worries, March 2016
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- Figure 38: Screenshot of the MamaBear mobile app, April 2016
- Steering kids towards future careers
- Need for family ‘digital detox’
Mums’ Attitudes
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- Family support is becoming crucial
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- Figure 39: Mothers’ attitudes towards raising children, March 2016
- The cost of achievement
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- Figure 40: Mothers’ attitudes towards raising children, continued, March 2016
- Few dads take up the shared parental leave
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Correspondence Analysis Methodology
- Abbreviations
- Definitions
- Generations
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