New Parents Brochure
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Designed by Chris Catchpole Illustrated by Sarah Buller Parenting under the microscope A report commissioned by Lever Fabergé, a Unilever company, and researched and written by Laura Edwards on behalf of ippr trading ltd, focusing on the challenges and support needs of today’s parents. LEVER FABERGÉ LTD IPPR TRADING LTD 3 St James’s Road, 30-32 Southampton Street, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey KT1 2BA London WC2E 7RA +44 (0)20 8439 6585 +44 (0)20 7470 6100 www.leverfaberge.co.uk ippr trading ltd is the trading subsidiary Lever Fabergé Ltd is the UK of Britain’s leading progressive think- manufacturing and marketing operating tank, the Institute for Public Policy company of Unilever in home and Research (ippr). The views expressed in personal care products such as Dove publications are those of the author. and Persil. Being involved with research gives UNILEVER Lever Fabergé a broader understanding of the changes taking place in society Unilever is all about adding Vitality in order to go on meeting the needs of to life. It meets everyday needs for people as well as better informing its nutrition, hygiene, and personal care support of the local communities and people choose Unilever’s brands – within which it operates. from Knorr, Hellmann’s, Wall’s and Lipton to Dove, Surf, Domestos and The Lever Fabergé Family Report 2002 Lux – 150 million times a day. They examined Lifelong Parenting and the help people feel good, look good and emergence of the ‘Boomerang Kid’ get more out of life, in all the 150 where 20-something children live at countries in which they are sold. home longer and return to the nest more often. In 2003, the Family Report examined the relationship between happiness and children. It created new understanding as to why people are delaying parenthood and debunked the myth that women without children become more desperate for children as they get older. The Family Reports provide insights for policymakers into the structure of modern society. They also help shape Lever Fabergé’s marketing initiatives, brand development, community and HR policies. the changing shape of British family life Contents Page 4 Foreword by Keith Weed, Chairman, Lever Fabergé Ltd Page 5 Summary Page 8 Introduction Page 9 Section one: What do families look like in Britain today? Page 11 Section two: Parental well-being Page 14 Section three: The parenting life course Page 16 Section four: The testing teens Page 20 Section five: Parenting pitfalls Page 26 Section six: Implications Page 29 Bibliography Page 30 Appendix 1 Survey details Page 31 Appendix 2 Case study details Acknowledgments With thanks to Laura Edwards, Miranda Lewis, Rachel O’Brien and Kate Stanley at ippr; John Ballington, Helen Fenwick, Emma Flack, Greg McNeill and Keith Weed at Lever Fabergé and Emma French, Fraser Hardie, Chris Jones, Nick Keegan, Kitty Robinson and Emma Wosskow at Blue Rubicon. 3 by Keith Weed, Chairman, Lever Fabergé Ltd As a father of three children The report reveals that as the challenges At Lever Fabergé we place enormous The insights that continue to be I have more than a professional facing parents rise in the teenage years, value on endeavouring to understand uncovered in the Lever Fabergé Family interest in The Lever Fabergé for many of them, the levels of support people in their totality - not simply as Reports inform the future of our brands, actually fall. This is defined in the purchasers of our products. As a help our customers – the retailers – to Family Report. With my eldest report as the parental ‘see-saw’ and consequence, and through the Lever better meet the needs of people and reaching the age of 13, this shows that the consequence for many Fabergé Family Report, we are able to contribute to the development of our own year’s research comes at a parents is isolation, anxiety and silence. contribute to the public and policy parent-friendly employment practices. particularly pertinent time for debate on the family. my own family! Most parents of teenagers feel unable to Furthermore, the research supports the share the challenges they face with other Last year the Family Report research work of hundreds of our employees who parents and there appears to be a major examined the relationship between volunteer for a range of activities to help gap in institutional support. All this at a happiness and children. It created new children and families. They include the time when society is putting parents and understanding as to why people are support of the East Leeds Family parenting under the microscope. These delaying parenthood and debunked the Learning Centre, the reading and are significant findings for all who care myth that women without children numbers schemes where our people go about the family. become desperate for children as into local schools to support literacy and they get older. numeracy drives and the numerous Understanding the challenges and joys family-based projects that take place of families is the bedrock of our In particular, the research showed why around our sites and factories. business. Brands such as Persil, Dove, women are choosing to have children Domestos and Lynx are present in nine later and consequently, why families are Within the following pages, there is out of ten homes and with 2.5 million getting smaller. The feeling amongst much for policy makers, business, supermarket transactions every day we women of a “mother tax” whereby family-focused organisations and are in constant contact with the British income, career and lifestyle are all ordinary individuals to think about. family. In addition, with over 2000 impacted by children was especially At Lever Fabergé we are proud to employees in the UK there will also be important. make a contribution to a debate of many people in Lever Fabergé for whom such importance. family matters are a daily issue. In 2002, the study examined the prospect of Lifelong Parenting, heralding the arrival of the ‘Boomerang Kid’, where 20-something children - particularly boys - are living at home for longer and returning to the nest more often. 4 1 Lever Fabergé Family Report 2003, Stanley, Edwards and Hatch Parenting is under The report is based on original It is also clear that parents today think Over half of parents with teenagers quantitative and qualitative research as they have a harder task than their own sometimes worry that they do not do the microscope. well as a literature review. A survey of parents. Sixty one per cent of mothers a good enough job as a parent. over a thousand parents was conducted. and 54 per cent of fathers think that Mothers and lone parents, who are How well children do at school, whether All of the parents surveyed had at least they have a more difficult job than their predominantly women, are most likely they get involved in anti-social one teenager living at home, many also own mother and father. Each generation to worry. Sixty three per cent of mothers behaviour and how healthy they are, for had younger children. Case study of parents may always judge its job to sometimes worry about whether they’re example, are all seen to be dependent interviews were also conducted with six be more difficult than that of the doing a good enough job, reflecting the on the ability of their parents to ‘do a different families. Key findings are previous generation. However, the high more involved role that many women good job’. Parents clearly have a highlighted below and discussed in percentage (over 60 per cent) of lone play in care-giving. The finding also responsibility for their children’s greater depth in the body of the report. parents and parents living with suggests that mothers, although active behaviour; they also have a right to live stepchildren who believe that they have participants in the workplace, may in a society which creates a supportive Parenting anxiety a more difficult job than their own judge themselves as much (if not more) environment in which to raise children. parents, suggests that the more diverse on the job they do in the home. The Lever Fabergé Family Report 2004 The research highlights a tension family structures that exist today Fathers are not far behind, however. explores how parents talk and think between the positive and negative sides present new and complex challenges. Fifty one per cent of fathers sometimes about parenting and focuses on how of parenting and points to a gap in worry that they do not do a good support for parents, particularly those support for parents of teenagers. Nine There is a strong link between parenting enough job. As expectations of fathers with teenagers, can be improved. in ten parents report being satisfied styles, the quality of parent-child to play a more active and hands-on role with their lives, of these, four in ten relationships and child well-being. in bringing up children increase, The report also focuses on parental reports being ‘very satisfied’. Being a Authoritative parenting, which fathers may become as critical of the well-being. It builds on the Lever parent is judged to have mainly combines warmth, responsiveness and job they do as fathers as mothers are of Fabergé Family Report 20031 which positive impacts on other things in life, high expectations, is seen as the the job they do as mothers. sought to understand the link between including relationships, motivation and optimum parenting style and most children and happiness. The Lever productivity at work, general health, likely to lead to child well-being. continued over Fabergé Family Report 2004 looks at mood and stress levels.