• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 29, 2006

Working mothers, according to The Media Audit, are spending less and less time with television and newspapers but, radio, the Internet and direct mail still command their attention.

According to Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, producer of The Media Audit. "There are approximately 20 million working mothers in the 87 metropolitan markets we survey, and they have a newspaper index of 60 which is 40 points below the market average of 100. Television has an index of 81."

With working mothers,

• Radio has an index of 113, only one point lower than it was five years ago
• Internet is 111, 14 points higher than five years ago
• Direct mail is 122, two points lower

The index numbers are for The Media Audit"s "heavy exposure" which is 300 minutes of television per day, 60 minutes a day with newspapers, 180 minutes per day with radio, and 430 minutes per week on the Internet. Heavy exposure to direct mail is defined as anyone who reads three-fourths or more of the direct mail they receive.

"Working mothers," says Jordan "is a distinctive segment of the market. The presence of children brings significant change in one's life, what they do with their money and the media to which they are exposed. Only 28 percent of the households in the 87 markets have two incomes. But, more than 60 percent of households with working mothers have two incomes."

Working mothers have more dogs, cats, minivans, vehicles, money and maturity:

• With dogs they index at 122
• cats at 114
• minivans at 129
• with weekly grocery expenditures of $150 or more, they index at 144.
• 35 percent of households with working mothers have three or more vehicles, an index of 121
• 41.7 percent have two or more vehicles, an index of 105.
• 19.6 percent of households with working mothers have incomes of $100,000 or more compared to 16.9 percent among all households
• 74.8 percent of working women are between the ages of 25 and 49, compared to just 49.4 percent in the same age bracket in the total adult population of the 87 markets

"The presence of children in the home," says Jordan "influences almost all expenditures from life insurance to fast food. This segment of the market is of enormous value and interest to a broad array of advertisers."

For more information, please visit The Media Audit here.