Survey Reveals What UK Women Most Hate And Love About Being A Mum
15th April 2020
As Mother’s Day approaches, professional housekeeping service Bright & Beautiful reveals just what it is that British women love and hate about being a mum.
The survey asked 1450 women* to name the three worst and best things about being a mum in 2015. Coming in at the top of the most hated list, with 65% of votes, is picking up toys and clothes followed closely by ironing, with 62% naming it as one of their three least favourite jobs. The hours spent getting children ready for school are also a major source of irritation for mums, with sewing on name labels and making packed lunches coming high up the list with 41% and 33% respectively.
The most popular choices in the ‘loved’ list focus very much on the emotional highpoints of being a parent and the calmer, more reflective times mums spend with their children. Cuddling comes in as the runaway favourite with 78%, followed by 66% who voted for watching your children learn new things as the second most enjoyable part of motherhood.
What we hate about being a mum:
- Picking up toys clothes (65%)
- Ironing (62%)
- Sewing on name labels (41%)
- Making packed lunches (33%)
- Wasting money on fad toys (31%)
- Having to watch children’s TV (27%)
- The school run (12%)
- School friends’ parties (10%)
- Getting them to eat healthy food (10%)
- Helping them with their homework (7%)
What we love about being a mum:
- Giving and getting cuddles (78%)
- Watching them learn new things (65%)
- Family days out where you are all together (55%)
- Hearing that your children love you every day (28%)
- Holding hands with them (21%)
- Reading favourite stories together (19%)
- The gifts and cards they make for you (14%)
- Seeing your children develop a relationship with your own parents (10%)
- Going to the cinema (7%)
- Watching their children sleeping (3%)
The survey was conducted to mark Mother’s Day 2015 and highlights the growing number of roles and responsibilities that tend to fall to mums to complete every day, usually alongside their own full time job. Other hated tasks mentioned by mums in the poll include having to be the one to sort out arguments; getting children up in the morning; rationing gadget use and getting school projects in on time.
Bright & Beautiful MD and mum of two Rachel Ray said:
“There is absolutely no job in the world that compares to being a mum and the satisfaction and joy we get from being with our children is priceless. But I bet there is not a mum in this land that hasn’t cursed the sets of packed lunches that need to be made every day, kicked the ironing basket or shouted at the kids for leaving a trail of toys around the house!
“90% of mums now work outside the home and around half will sacrifice their family time at the weekend to sort the housework out**. When I became a mum I had to learn to play to my strengths and delegate the chores I hated and was bad at, such as ironing and tidying, so that I could spend time doing the things I was good at, like building up my business, and that I enjoy, such as having fun with my family.
“Being a mum has always been a balancing act and hopefully Mother’s Day will be a chance for them to offload just a few of those daily chores that we love to hate and just enjoy the good bits, until Monday morning at least!”
Sarah Reeves a mum from Buckinghamshire said:
“When it comes to Mother’s Day I really don’t want flowers or chocolates – I’d much rather have a bit of time back for me, someone to clean my car, to sort the ironing out for a week or to chauffeur the kids round for the day! Nothing means as much as a homemade card or gift though and they remind you just how quickly they grow up and how precious the times are when they want to hold your hand, dance around the kitchen like a mad person or just cuddle up together. It’s the best job in the world, bar none, but it’d be nice to have a bit of time off occasionally!”
Thank you to Brands Today for creating the infographic
*Survey of 1450 women conducted on 6 March 2015
**Bright & Beautiful workingmums.co.uk poll – May 2014
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