Millennial Moms Redefine Work

As they have done with most aspects of life, Millennial Moms have put their own mark on the workplace and how they view employment. Millennials now compose 34% of the workforce according to the Department of Labor Statistics, outnumbering Boomers and Gen Xers who represent 32% combined. By 2020, they will represent 46% of all U.S. workers. They are entrepreneurial in spirit, mostly because they seek employment on their own terms.

Whether they work in an office or at home, Millennial Moms love partnerships and collaboration. Not afraid to tackle tasks where they have no direct experience, Millennial Moms prefer to work in teams at the office or by networking with other moms online from home. And the terms “working mom” and “stay-at-home mom” need to be banished from any discussion about employment. In a recent survey, we asked Millennial Moms who earn income at home to classify their work status. The exact same percentage of mothers claimed the title of stay-at-home mom as work-at-home mom, with another 10% taking on the title of working mother. Updating terms to fit Millennial Moms, four new classifications look like this:

• “In-home mothers” are moms who are in the home and generate no income.

• “Work-at-home mothers” and “working mothers” are earning income with the location being the point of differentiation.

• The “part-time working mother” is employed by someone else but works fewer than 40 hours a week.

Older Millennial Moms are more likely to be earning some kind of income even if they are at home with children. Younger Millennial Moms who choose to stay at home with their children have intentions to earn income sometime in the near future. These are women who are creative and confident in utilizing technology to find work-life integration. Notice I didn’t say “work-life balance” — Millennial Moms don’t seek balance in the same way as their parents did. They believe they can have it all without the Superwoman cape and on their own terms.

Interestingly, we asked our Millennial Moms if they felt most of their peers aspired to be what would be known as the traditional “stay-at-home mom.” The results showed that, two to one, our moms answered “No.”

Why is this of interest to marketers? If you work with mom influencers, it’s important to recognize that most of these moms are in the business to make money. They consider themselves business owners and work-at-home mothers. Remembering this fact will help you define business opportunities that meet your respective goals and establish a mutually beneficial relationship. They want you as a brand to respect them as a business owner and they will reward you for it.

What is your experience with work-at-home mothers whom you’ve employed for your brand? Comment here or tweet me at @momtalkradio with your thoughts.