• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, September 1, 2010

According to a white paper to be released in September, "Affluent Mothers Of Young Children," by Donna Sabino, SVP, Ipsos OTX, "kid" effects are evident when comparing affluent women with children under 18 to those without children. Sacrifice and lifestyle reprioritization are clear. 

Of the 15.6 million affluent female heads of house age 18 to 54 (annual household incomes of $100,000 or more) more than half, or 9.4 million, are mothers of children under 18. Even when age is accounted for, affluent women without children are far more likely to demonstrate stereotypically "affluent" behaviors, living, consuming, and acting in a manner typically associated with upper-class lifestyles.

The analysis concludes that children strongly impact their mother's overall lifestyle, and modify the definition of affluence in a household. The effects of having children are very evident in affluent households in career, leisure activities, purchase decisions, adoption of technology, and media selections.

When looking at activities in which they engage, affluent women without young children are significantly more likely to have plans to redecorate, travel, and invest. They are also more likely to go to art galleries, auctions, and antiques shows than affluent women with young children.  

By contrast, when examining the behaviors of affluent moms of young children, their patterns of behavior and consumption do not appear to be as economically advantaged as those of the affluent women without young children. For example, affluent women with children are less likely to own a second home or a luxury car, travel abroad, travel by air, or visit a spa.  

The behavior of affluent women with children can be classified as stereotypically more "mom-like." The effect of children on her leisure-time activities is evidenced across categories. She is much more likely to participate in events and activities that include her children, such as sporting events, movies, museums, dance performances, and visiting a theme park. She's also much more likely to own an SUV or a van.    

Today's busy mom's multi-role lifestyle is demonstrated in her media consumption patterns. Affluent moms with young children are more likely to fast-forward through commercials when watching recorded programming (she's time crunched), watch channels with children's programming (it's a positive way to spend time with her kids), read entertainment, fashion, and beauty magazines, and visit similar websites (giving mom a fun escape - probably during naps or after the kids go to bed).  

Women with children are more likely, than their counterparts without young children, to purchase multiples, including big-ticket items. Notably, as the children get older, more television sets, computers, and mobiles are brought into the household.  

Note: Because of the large sample sizes (more than 4,500 women age 18 to 54), almost all reported differences in this paper are statistically significant at the 95% level of confidence 

Please visit Ipsos Mendelsohn here to access additional information.