The Truth About Mothers

German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo (DIJ) Podcast

How are women around the world coping with, learning about and sharing information they need or encounter to become ideal mothers? Would you believe 50 percent of them say they would rather give up their engagement ring than their mobile or PC connection? Based on an eight year research project entitled “Real Mothers” in Japan, in addition to this current study involving over 40 focus groups across 14 countries and an extensive survey of over 9,000 mothers in eight countries, this project delves into the nature of the “Mommy Economy” and the ambitions and desires of today’s mothers. This lecture will help your understanding of: - The role that today’s mothers see themselves playing; - Their abilities, desires and readiness to share information conducive to their social worth; - How mothers of Japan, China, USA and other countries compare in coping with the balancing act of life, understanding them as triathletes in the way they are taking on the convergence of their roles of ‘family-me’, ‘self-me’, and ‘work-me’.