New research released today by M&S Money reveals an emerging trend for virtual female friendships as time-starved mums email and text friends daily, but few manage to meet up with friends more than once a month.
According to M&S Money’s Modern British Women and Lifestyles study, the most popular way for mums to keep in touch with friends is by text, with over a quarter of them (27%) texting friends every day. Almost a quarter of mothers surveyed (23%) keep in touch with friends daily via email or social networking sites such as Facebook.
With the growth in social networking sites for parents, two-fifths (40%) of today’s busy mums are now accessing a much wider circle of online acquaintances for advice and sharing parenting experiences. One in ten of the mums surveyed said they now visit sites such as mumsnet and netmums frequently. And one in four mums questioned are always using these sites for support and information.
M&S Money’s study reveals the Sex and the City image of friendship doesn’t quite ring true for today’s Modern British Woman, as almost two-thirds (61%) of busy mums admitted they don’t keep in touch with their best friends as often as they would like to. Over a third of women (37%) admitted that now they are mums, they see their childless friends much less frequently. However, over a fifth (27%) of mums questioned revealed that they now have a closer relationship with their own mother than in their pre-children days.
According to the study, only a fifth of mums (22%) said they manage to find the time to see their friends socially once a week or more. Over half (51%) catch up with friends face to face once a month or less often than this. Of these, a fifth of mums (21%) see their friends less frequently than every couple of months. One in eight mums questioned admitted that they never get to meet up socially with their friends on their own without the children.
Even well-known mums find it hard to juggle combining being a new mum with a busy work schedule, according to the face of M&S Travel Money, Myleene Klass. “I tend to keep in touch via text as it’s easier when you are running from one appointment to the next and when filming. But I try to make a point of speaking to my family and friends on the phone or meeting up for a chat as often as possible.
“Everyone has busy lives these days and it can be easy to let your social life take a back seat. Technology’s a great way to make sure you can keep in touch every day, but nothing beats actually seeing the people you care about face to face,” said Myleene.
On the occasions that mums manage to find some time for themselves, their top indulgence is a shopping trip, followed by an evening of drinks with friends and then a beauty related treatment, such as a manicure or trip to the hairdresser.
Top 5 responses from mums asked what they like to do with time to themselves: Most popular activity
Ranking:
%
Shopping trip 1 40
Drinks with friends 2 38
Beauty related activity 3 32
Spending time on a hobby, eg. dancing 4 31
Going to the cinema 5 28
A small number of mums (12%) with children under the age of seven have managed to have a child-free weekend away with friends or their partner. The longest time spent away from their offspring is an evening out, or an overnight stay, according to 13% of mums questioned in the M&S Money study.
Brendan Cook, Chief Executive M&S Money said: "Through our panel we are creating ongoing discussions with women across the country to provide us with a real understanding of Modern British Women and their families.
“At M&S Money the majority of our customers are female and so it is important that we keep in tune with their lifestyles, needs, values and challenges. What they are telling us in this second report is that women today are working hard to keep a healthy balance between motherhood and retaining their own valuable friendships.”
