Top Ten Challenges for Today’s Parents
Burlingame, CA (PRWEB) July 16, 2014 -- SheByShe, the leading women’s opinion site, recently asked women to share their opinions about parenting today and to compare challenges today to those that their parents faced. At issue is whether or not advances in technology and recent U.S. education reforms make it easier to be a parent today versus how it was for the previous generation.
Do parents today have it easier than their parents? According to the participating women, the answer is a resounding “no” as 74 percent find parenting more challenging today.
“We live in a fast-paced, hectic society and, as this study reveals so clearly, this is creating new and different pressures for parents,” said Julie de Azevedo Hanks, licensed clinical social worker and author. “Parenting has never been easy, there have always been challenges. But, parents today face the combined challenges of such things as new technology, rapidly changing family dynamics, a 24/7 news cycle and an overwhelmed educational system. This is keeping us all on our toes.”
Top 10 Parenting Challenges
The SheByShe “Parenting Today” study asked women to identify their top parenting challenges.
According to these women, here are the Top 10 Parenting Challenges:
1. Finding enough time in the day and balancing motherhood and career.
2. Effectively disciplining children.
3. Allowing children to develop independence in a dangerous world.
4. Bearing the cost of raising children.
5. Being a single parent and/or having enough help or support.
6. Ensuring children receive a quality education.
7. Having unreasonable expectations of children.
8. Dealing with bedtime hassles.
9. Avoiding consumerism in today’s consumer-centric society.
10. Guarding against technology influences.
Women who took the survey shared their personal stories and insights. All can be found at http://www.shebyshe.com. One woman said, the biggest parenting challenge is “having time and energy to spend on my children equally, and then enough left over for my husband and myself.” Another described her biggest obstacle as, “balancing my time between being a mother, wife and student all while holding a part time job. I never get alone time.”
Finding appropriate discipline for children is considered the most difficult challenge by many women. A mom said, “Trying to teach my kids manners and to respect people is my biggest parenting challenge.” Another commented, I’m “afraid to punish my child in public. Most parents and other individuals stare when my child acts out.”
Entertainment Industry and Educational System Making Parenting More Difficult
Seventy-one percent of the women in this study feel the current U.S. educational system is making it harder to be a parent today. From educational standards, standardized tests, poor funding and the lack of extra-curricular activities, to teacher quality, too much homework, lack of safety and inconsistencies in parental involvement, women see many issues with today’s education system that are making parenting more difficult.
Likewise, 81 percent of participating women feel the entertainment industry is contributing to the challenging environment for parents. Many feel the hazards of “too much TV” are now compounded by the proliferation of mobile devices and gaming consoles. One woman said, “I think the number of screens kids have access to changes the equation. I didn’t have the option of the Internet when I was young. We did have a nice TV, but my parents limited my TV time.”
Many women expressed concern with the content generated by the entertainment industry. One explained, “Somehow stuff that was not appropriate for kids when I was growing up has been desensitized so much, it shows up everywhere these days, without the slightest bat of an eye.”
SheByShe is Providing Women a Voice
The SheByShe “Parenting Today” survey questioned Internet-savvy, mostly millennial women from across America. Married and single women, working and non-working women across the nation and all household income levels responded to the survey.
A colorful, visual slideshow of full survey results can be found at http://www.shebyshe.com.
The survey was conducted in June and July of 2014 and represents U.S. women, ages 25-64, with 181 participants.
About SheByShe
SheByShe is a women’s opinion site dedicated to sharing what women think about important issues. SheByShe is committed to being objective and transparent. SheByShe is not affiliated with any political party, religion or other group. Surveys are fielded to cover current social, lifestyle, economic, and political issues. Results are posted on SheByShe.com and are shared with key influencers and publicized through major media and information dissemination sources. Participating women feel satisfied that they are speaking up and sharing their point-of-view. For more information or to contact SheByShe please go to http://www.shebyshe.com.
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Julie McHenry, [email protected], (650) 504-6655, [email protected]
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