Gender gap in Mother’s Day celebrations

Gender gap in Mother’s Day celebrations

Men are more cynical about Mother’s Day and are less likely to celebrate it than women, according to a new survey.

The Colmar Brunton Mother’s Day Insights survey found one in two Kiwis (52%) have specific plans for Mother’s Day on Sunday 10 May, but there are big differences in how the genders view the occasion.

Colmar Brunton CEO Jacqueline Farman says most New Zealanders celebrate Mother’s Day but a larger number of men are lukewarm about it.

“Our survey shows nine per cent of men do not celebrate Mother’s Day, compared to only four per cent of women.

“In fact, 48 per cent of men are less likely to have specific plans for Mother’s Day, compared to 55 per cent of women who have more of an idea as to how they will celebrate the day,” Mrs Farman says.

The survey suggests this gender gap is due to differences in attitude towards Mother’s Day rather than apathy from men.

“A third of men have a negative view of Mother’s Day, compared to only a quarter of women. Many men think it is all about commercialism and selling things (28%), while five per cent of men see it as “tacky”, compared to only one per cent of women,” Mrs Farman says.

“Half of women see Mother’s Day as a nice way to celebrate mums. Women are more excited about the chance to spend time with the whole family (21%), while men are more likely to see it as a good opportunity to interact with mum (11%).”

The survey also found differences in Mother’s Day celebrations between household types and age groups.

One in nine people in single-income households with no children (11%) are not celebrating Mother’s Day, compared to only three per cent of those in households with kids.

“One in five people are planning to send a present such as flowers or a card to their mum on Mother’s Day, with 18-49 year olds being more likely to do so,” Mrs Farman says.

“We found 18-29 year olds are more likely to celebrate Mother’s Day with plans to spend time with the whole family, send a present to her, have a special dinner at home, give her a hug, have a nice dinner out, pamper/shopping day, do chores/housework for her, and make her breakfast in bed.”

As for what mum wants for Mother’s Day, that depends on how old she is and what part of the country she lives in.

More mums (41%) feel spending time with the whole family is how they would like to be treated for Mother’s Day this year, while three in ten (29%) feel a kiss or a hug would be enough.

“Although only one in ten mums want to be pampered or taken shopping, this increases to one in six (17%) for Auckland mums and one in three (32%) for mums who are single or never married,” Mrs Farman says.

“While 30-39 year olds are more likely to want to go out or go for a holiday, 40-49 year olds prefer to relax and be free of housework or have breakfast in bed, and 50-59 year olds are more likely to want to spend time with the whole family.”

ENDS

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