With just a few clicks, mums are looking to make a change in the way they work.
Mum's are always trying to balance out their lives.
We all know that mum’s want it all, enough money to support their children, career prospects and plenty of time to spend with their families but once they return to work after maternity leave; it brings added stress to office related jobs especially when they have to deal with family emergencies like a child’s illness.
1,500 working mother took part in the survey, conducted by One Poll and 64% have taken steps to improve their work-life since having their children. Over half of them, only opted for part time work so that they could spend more time with their families.
Business journalist and author, Rachel Bridge, explains the growth in mum-economy: ‘The challenges faced by women returning to work after maternity leave are well-documented. However, what we are now seeing is a shift towards working mums taking control of their situation and setting their own employment agenda for the benefits offered by an improved work-life balance.’
The number of working mothers stepping outside the traditional office-working environment and carving their own careers has recently risen. Rachel Bridge comments that ‘With just a few clicks, mums are looking to make a change in the way they work, they can see what options are available to them, from examples of how to use their office-gained experience in a consultative or freelance capacity, to being able to research new ways of working and the companies who are offering a different, more mum-friendly approach.’
The internet has played a huge part in facilitating this movement because mums are finding new ways to earn a living such as buying and selling items to auction, working from home and using their skills to become a freelancer in their chosen career. Modern mums want to have both a career and a family and instead of only achieving them both, half way. Having a career that fits around the family is the perfect solution. A whole new world of possibilities has now opened up for the Mum-Economy.
One such business is Swedish clothing company Me & I. The head of UK sales, Pernilla Kemp explains that ‘Me & I operates a mum-to mum selling business model, building on the pre-established networks which mums have cultivated since having children, from attending playgroups, through to primary school and beyond. We have found mums to be incredibly supportive of each other, willing to host parties and introduce people to the brand in order to help grow their friends’ businesses.’
Businesses like Me & I understand how important it is for mums to be the masters of their own destiny. She believes that the mum seal of approval is the best endorsement they can get for the brand, ensuring that the business model is appealing to its audience. The more companies that catch on to this concept, the bigger the sector will become and more opportunities will arise for working mums. Their research shows that 35% of the mums would prefer to buy from a business that is run by mums and 16% said that they would prefer buying from the brand name.
To conclude, Rachel Bridge says ‘These are really exciting times for working mums keen to be the masters of their own destiny. Businesses unable, or unwilling, to offer the much-needed flexibility which working mothers need, may well find themselves losing valuable talent – talent that will filter through to the Mum-Economy enhancing it still further.’