Super-mums
It seems that the proof of maternal efforts is no longer found in the pudding ? it's in the spending. Women are increasingly outsourcing personal grooming tasks and the pressure of looking good, feeling healthy, maintaining a tight ship and IQ level has meant that housecleaning and gardening are again fashionable methods to promote the family brand; housewifery is now a career, with all the attitude of 21st century post-feminism. It emerged in a recent BBC report, that a new type of parent was surfacing?.the "manager mum". Manager mums tend to use the internet to save time on tasks and streamline activity, using the Web to undertake jobs such as grocery shopping or banking.
Once they've got their partner, it doesn't seem women can relax about their appearances, with women in relationships spending more on their appearance than their single counterparts. UK housewives spend a massive ?5 billion on 'keeping up appearances', in terms of gardening, home furnishings and personal grooming, according to a study by Virgin Money Credit Cards. UK women are splurging out an average of ?3,488 each on personal appearance and their home and garden. Of the ?3,488, 47% is spent on the home and garden, whilst the remainder goes on clothes, haircuts, beauty products and treatments.
The pressure to look good may be a factor in women being labelled as the worst savers, as reported by Guardian Unlimited. In an annual study by IFA Promotion, 63% of the women who stated that they were unable to put aside further savings, admitted to spending their spare cash on costly and unnecessary luxuries, whilst 28% of women get themselves into debt with expensive purchases. Women apparently seem to be content with spending up to 75% of disposable income and saving less than 20%, in contrast to men who save over 25% of their income and invest 8%.
Peter Pan fathers
Whilst fathers are not physically getting any younger, there is evidence that their mental age may be falling. The BBC recently reported that a new type of dad had emerged ? the "gadget dad", whilst in November last year, the Guardian reported that men were significantly delaying fatherhood. In a study by Panlogic, "gadget dads" love technology and have all the latest tech toys, from Sky TV to a car navigation system. Perhaps this love of tech toys is also the reason inhibiting men from diverting funds to babies. According to the Guardian, 81% of men admitted that financial fears would make them postpone having children and if current trends continue, the average age of men becoming fathers will rise to 40 by 2065. Virgin Money Life Insurance also reported in their studies that new fathers were waiting longer to start families and that UK fathers are working the longest hours in Europe.
Savvy kids
A recent investigation by Halifax found a positive attitude towards saving is increasing amongst children. Whilst in 1998, a third of children saved more than they spent; now that figure is over fifty percent. The bank discovered that most children are prepared to save for an expensive item, though parents of younger children faced more of a struggle, as 22% of seven to eleven year olds pestered their way towards getting what they wanted. Piggy banks, it would seem, may become sentimental souvenirs, as more children save their money in a bank or building society.
This trend of 'keeping up appearances' seems to induce individualistic behaviour in families, reducing co-operation on financial issues. This erodes family values in society and discourages future generations from investing in children. Without the motivation to invest in sustainable communities or even a sustainable standard of living, (currently supported by ?1.1 trillion of debt), the issue of successful management of family finance remains trivial.
Additional information:
Useful brochures & fact sheets from http://www.unbiased.co.uk/website/brochures/
Family finance information: http://www.unbiased.co.uk/website/brochures/
Rachel writes for Cashzilla, a personal finance blog.
Through Cashzilla, she expresses her frustration on financial matters and explores her alter-ego as a fictitious, money-wise dinosaur. If anyone is interested in this article or can offer professional counselling, please visit http://www.unbiased.co.uk/website/brochures/
Cashzilla is an Aries. He has a flamboyant character and a tongue that could heat up any conversation. If Cashzilla was an A-Team character, he'd be Murdock. In the words of Cashzilla, "I'm hairy, scary and lairy."
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareThe recommendations for military base closings have been released and... Read More
Finding a stable and secure income that will come year... Read More
Are you a check fanatic? Don't worry, you aren't alone.... Read More
1. Don't focus on your finances.The reason most people get... Read More
Get Access to Realistic profitable strategies & discover the mindset... Read More
Each of us knows how to spend money, but do... Read More
The price of gas continues to climb, and with continued... Read More
Address labels are many things to many different people. If... Read More
Women have a love/hate relationship with money. Most of us... Read More
There is a new bill that is being passes, it... Read More
Developing and living by a household budget is by far... Read More
Six Scholarship judges were sitting around an oval table. Forms... Read More
Vacations Made Easy: Buying a Florida Investment PropertyA relaxing beach... Read More
It is estimated that we, as consumers, waste an average... Read More
Many people graduate from college owing thousands of dollars in... Read More
Ever wonder where address labels come from? Avery? is perhaps... Read More
Traditional checks probably won't disappear anytime soon, but processing checks... Read More
We have heard a lot about consumers' personal information getting... Read More
Car donations and used car donations are the way many... Read More
Our global society has had a wake up call in... Read More
The British government at the beginning of this year officially... Read More
It is widely written that you need 75% of your... Read More
Confused about whether you can contribute to a Roth IRA?... Read More
Saving money is not easy and is made more difficult... Read More
Here are ten steps you can follow to help improve... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Shopping for groceries is an inevitable fact of our ever... Read More
It's the little things in life that make it interesting.... Read More
Gas prices have soared to unimaginable heights of late. Since... Read More
Between 15 - 20% of people in our country (UK)... Read More
With the A-level results coming out, the long wait for... Read More
The Check 21 Law is the new federal law for... Read More
Most of us, especially those of us who have debtor's... Read More
For months, we were trigger-swipe happy, putting our groceries, clothes,... Read More
If you are the normal consumer, then you've probably experienced... Read More
It is estimated that we, as consumers, waste an average... Read More
The lists of bank and savings accounts that are available... Read More
Many don't realize that our basic utility bills provide the... Read More
Developing and living by a household budget is by far... Read More
If you were to ask 100 women "What would you... Read More
Each of us knows how to spend money, but do... Read More
Saving for a Down Payment is hard work, so it's... Read More
Single Mother's in need of Financial GuidanceBudgeting is key to... Read More
If you have a 401(k) account, it can be very... Read More
Have you ever stopped to think about how your "mood"... Read More
The recommendations for military base closings have been released and... Read More
How many drawers did you have to look through to... Read More
Women have a love/hate relationship with money. Most of us... Read More
With almost two thirds of university entrants from England and... Read More
Reducing the clothing budget was a serious challenge for me.... Read More
The judge had to ask the question, and we had... Read More
Personal Finance |