What moms want you to know.
Never before in recent history has there been such a profound shift in women’s roles as there has been since COVID hit. With schools shut down, daycares closed, huge job losses, fears about health, and forced work-from-home scenarios, mothers have been shouldering the growing weight of caring for their families during lockdown. To continue to connect with Canadian moms in meaningful ways, we surveyed the YMC community to gauge their COVID state of mind. Here are some highlights of our COVID State of Mom survey.
Of the 700+ women who responded, only 7% describe their COVID state of mind as “doing well”. 78% of moms say their biggest struggle is worrying about their families’ mental and physical health. It’s also important to note that one third of moms are worrying about how to pay the bills.
While fretting about finances, 75% of moms we surveyed continue to hold jobs. Of those who have paid work, 61% are now doing that job from home, while 72% of them also have kids doing virtual learning.
Picture this. Moms are trying to get their work done, while tasked with overseeing their kids’ schooling, PLUS they are now also burdened with additional domestic work and childcare responsibilities due to the lockdown. 61% of moms are cooking more than pre-covid, with 41% of moms finding mealtime more stressful than ever. In our home, the dishwasher fills up in half the time because all meals are being eaten at home.
Of course moms are stressed out. Where are they finding extra hours in their days to get everything done?
It didn’t surprise us to see that 65% of moms say they have less time for themselves. When asked what would make their lives better, housecleaners, meal delivery and tutors topped their lists. It certainly wasn’t more sex. 42% of moms told us they’re having less sex since lockdown. At the end of the day, they’re probably so exhausted from the increased workload and pressure, not to mention being cooped up with their partners for eight months, sex is not a priority.
If not sex, what are moms doing in their limited spare time?
75% of moms are spending more time on social media. Facebook came in at the top social platform with 77% of moms on it, Instagram was a close second with 66%. We found it interesting that Twitter has found itself back in the conversation with 33% of women we polled devoted time to tweeting.
Two thirds of Canadian moms are spending free time watching movies or TV, no doubt snacking and drinking; 67% of moms admitting to consuming more junk food than ever and almost half of moms are consuming more alcohol. Talk about stress eating and drinking!
Walking, virtual work outs and running top the list of moms’ physical activity during COVID. However, we doubt the amount of exercise women are currently doing will counteract the additional COVID weight gain moms will be left with when lockdown is over.
It came as no surprise to us that shopping habits are shifting. 86% of moms are shopping more online. 76% of these women have purchased clothes online, while a majority of women are buying their household products like groceries, school supplies, toys, and electronics on the web.
We learned that there have been a few silver linings thanks to the COVID lockdown. Moms told us they have been enjoying significantly more family time and bonding this year, even with their teenagers who historically hide out in their rooms. A more relaxed schedule with fewer extra-curricular activities was a big positive for a majority of Canadian families.
As for the future, 60% of moms say yes to getting the COVID vaccine for their family, however a third of women surveyed are still on the fence, waiting to see if any health issues emerge for those already vaccinated. We see a need for health professionals and governmental agencies to engage in candid and open conversations with parents about the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines, and to remind hesitant moms that a future free of COVID is dependent on the vaccine to provide the return of normalcy to our lives.
You can request a PDF of the full COVID State of Mom Trend Report here.