This is the 4th insights digest of Segmanta’s Moms in Asia 2020 study. We conducted research in 9 Asian regions to find out what motherhood means to moms in Asia and how their lives are affected by it.
Given today’s COVID-19 crisis, ethically gathered data collected from new moms regarding the anxieties, pressures, and loneliness of motherhood are of strategic value for brands. Mothers, who already shoulder plenty of responsibilities and pressure, have felt the burdens of childcare increase during the pandemic, and their inner thoughts, opinions, and sentiment gathered via declarative data are crucial for babycare brands to understand.
We carried out a comprehensive survey asking moms about their motherhood experience, exploring how motherhood touches their mental health, and how brands can better engage mothers in the emerging markets. Over 11,000 moms across the regions completed our survey.
In the first part of this article, we focus on how Asian moms interpret motherhood, how motherhood influences their lives, and what are the main difficulties they are up against.
She Has Mixed Feelings About Motherhood
She Embraces Motherhood
In our survey, we asked mothers across Asia to rate a set of statements evaluating how motherhood impacts their lives. 83% of the surveyed mothers agree or somewhat agree with the statement that motherhood has made them stronger, wiser, and more mature. On the other hand, almost a third of the moms agree or somewhat agree that motherhood is tough, desiring more time for themselves. Becoming a mother surely is surely rewarding when the little one reaches major milestones, even if it means bearing self-sacrifice, increased responsibilities, and endless yawning.
Her Social And Professional Life Is Mostly Favorable During Motherhood
When asked about their social life, 39% of respondents claim that motherhood has positively influenced their social activities. As for changes in their professional life, 23% said being a mother actually has benefited their work. For these working women, becoming a mother may have nurtured the virtue of patience and improved their multitasking, assisting professional growth.
Fun insight: The moms who think motherhood has a positive influence on their social or professional life are more likely to have a postgraduate degree.
She Is A Tired and Apprehensive Parent
When motherhood begins, life becomes exciting yet hectic. According to our survey, the three biggest challenges Asian moms face are “Concern for the child’s wellbeing”, “Not enough ‘Me time’”, and “Lack of rest”.
Noticeably among the Asian regions, Filipino moms were most likely to be worried about their child’s wellbeing (65%) while South Korean moms (72%) were the most likely to say that not enough “me” time is the No.1 challenge for them during motherhood. As the Coronavirus continues to devastate the health, finances, and wellbeing of families around the world, moms’ zen is being tested even further.
She Faces Various Challenges in Different Life Stages
According to our survey, younger Asian mothers (under 35 yrs old) tend to relate to more physical challenges such as sleep-deprivation, the process of giving birth itself, and breastfeeding. These challenges usually occur with younger babies who require more attention and care from the parents. Becoming a mother changes the moms’ body. The physical changes are not just noticeable, some can result in chronic discomfort.
Meanwhile, older Asian moms (35+) or moms reflect more on mental stress such as career/family balance, co-parenting relationships, and managing expectations from family, employers, and society. Although 23% of the Asian moms think motherhood is good for their professional life, given the current COVID-19 situation, having to work while kids are not permitted to return to school is surely testing that. Parenting is harshly judged by older generations and society around the globe, causing mothers much more pressure that they may not be able to shake off.
How Can Brands Help Alleviate Asian Moms’ Burdens?
She Just Wants To Feel Understood
Firstly, start thinking about how your brand and product can truly echo moms’ needs and establish an emotional connection to make them feel cared for. Instead of showcasing images or videos of happy babies (it is highly likely an exhausted mother is behind every happy baby), imagine your product packaging displays a relaxed mother, who is the prime purchaser of your products, showing enjoyment of a happy moment she has to herself due to the success of your product in keeping her baby calm and healthy.
She Seeks Motherhood “Hacks” Online
Almost half of the surveyed moms claimed concern for her child’s well-being is the biggest challenge of all. The overwhelming feeling of responsibility brings on much strain to mothers’ mental health. Babycare brands such as Pampers and Moony(by Unicharm) are going beyond their core products, creating additional value for mothers by establishing an online community for parenting knowledge exchange, advice on baby care and self-care, motherhood humor, and more. According to our survey, 69% of moms say they get parenting advice from online websites and articles (91% of the Taiwanese moms read these!). 51% of respondents follow brands on social media for fun content and tips (72% of the Taiwanese moms are active followers!). The babycare brands that emphasize mothers’ well-being generate gravity and engagement regarding your products as well as your brand.
To be continued…
