In the December 10 issue of Adweek, marketing expert Gigi Carroll wrote about "modern moms" and the marketing community’s inability to look at women who are also mothers through anything other than a very narrow lens.

Summarizing a research study by Ms. & Mom Marketing Group at DraftFCB, Carroll says that advertisers need to change their approach toward mothers. I say it’s about time somebody actually asked us instead of constantly telling us what we want, what we should aspire to for our families and what we should be thinking.

Carroll breaks down “modern moms” into three categories:

"Sacrificers: These are women most reminiscent of the moms featured in many TV commercials. They pretty much live for their children. They do, do, do—immersing themselves in their children’s activities, often at the expense of themselves, seeing their children as an extension of themselves. They believe a "bad" mom is a missing mom and consequently choose not to work; they’re all about the family unit … and not much outside of it.

Hardworking dominants: These women are hardworking all-around, truly in survival mode, trying to better themselves and to give their kids a better life than they had. They are in charge, the "chief home officer." These moms work primarily for financial reasons and seek to "take care" of their children, hoping they in turn will grow up to be balanced and successful.

Experientials: These women seem to have achieved "evolved motherhood," in which their roles as a woman and mother are in balance. There are layers of complexity in their lives. Their goal is to create interesting children through exposure, experience and quality time. They see their children as individuals in their own right and see themselves in the same way. They frequently work because they "need" to, i.e., not for financial reasons (often it is non-paying work) but because work is simply part of their DNA."
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I’m still not comfortable in any of the three categories, but at least someone is pointing out that there really is life somewhere between June Cleaver and Gloria Albright. Now, when is someone going to point out that the same is true for dads?

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