Revealed: What’s Worrying Indian Mothers

Remember those days in college when you were being complimented for your looks, dressing sense, well-maintained physique, or beautiful black hair. And when you see moms on the TV, in the serials, movies, commercials, and even real life, still looking very young and glamorous, you wonder how they could do it. It doesn’t stop there. You begin feeling low, disappointed with yourself and sometimes depressed.

But, if you think you are the only mother to have such feelings, you are not alone.

Brand Baby Dove recognises the anxieties faced by mothers and would like to be a voice of encouragement. A brand that helps moms feel confident of the choices they make and reassures them that there are no perfect moms but only real moms. To validate their belief, Baby Dove conducted a survey called ‘Real Mothers Heard’ in six countries – US, UK, Brazil, India, China, and Mexico. The Survey revealed some very astonishing and hard hitting facts about moms across the globe.

Be rest assured, there are millions of women out there who are on par with you and feel just the same. The survey revealed that 87% of Indian mothers feel the pressure to look good. This figure is much higher than that in China where 62% women feel the need to pay attention to their appearance, while the UK has the lowest 52% of women having that pressure.

It also turns out that one in two women in India and Brazil feel that it is perfectly acceptable to have cosmetic surgery after birth of your baby while women in other countries are hesitant to go under the surgeon’s knife.

Globally, the pressure to look good is more than the pressure to be a perfect parent. However, for Indian mothers it is more important that they be a ‘perfect’ parent to their baby.

Nearly 90% Indian mothers feel pressured to be a perfect parent. This quest for perfection leads to great stress and anxiety amongst mothers. Also, leading to them doubting their abilities as a mother. 73% of the Indian mothers sometimes wonder if what they are doing as a mother is good enough. Another factor that compounds their worries, is the advice (mostly unsolicited) they receive on parenting. 70% of Indian mothers feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and advice on how to be a parent.The inherent Indian family set up of joint families results in 66% of Indian mothers feeling that they receive conflicting advice from their mothers and mothers-in-law.

Here are some hard hitting statistics revealed by Baby Dove’s Real Mothers Heard Survey –

• 67% Indian moms feel judged if they don’t follow traditional methods of parenting

• 67% Indian mothers feel that they instinctively do what is best for their child

• Seven out of 10 mothers feel they do not have enough time for themselves

• 65% of Indian mothers feel that there are lots of old wives’ tales about how to bring up children that do not make sense

• 67% of Indian mothers find it hard to balance spending time with their child and fulfilling other obligations in life

• 62% Indian mothers sometimes miss their old life although they wouldn’t have it any other way.

• 67% of Indian mothers feel guilty sometimes about going to work rather than staying at home with their child and 61% feel that if they stayed at home, they would feel guilty about not providing for their family.

• 54% Indian mothers would like to go to work rather than being a stay-at-home mom.

The top three obligations for women are:work, social life and me-time. India shares the top spot with Brazil and single-handedly tops the chart when it comes to guilt about not providing for their family.

As women, we are all blessed with something called forbearance. It is this quality that makes a woman what she is. Despite the humongous pressures and expectations, we survive and do our best for our children and families. It is the strength that makes us sisters, daughters, wives, and mothers.

And that is why brand Baby Dove identifies with the spirit of womanhood.It reassures mother’s everywhere that she needs to trust her way, as there is no right or wrong way of parenting. For Baby Dove believes that a mother instinctively knows what is best for her child.

To know more about Baby Dove, click here.

You can buy Baby Dove products here.

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