Happy Mothers Day from McCrindle

As Australians, we love getting the chance to give back to our mothers, especially on Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is regarded as the most meaningful ‘special day’ (nationally recognised days that are not public holidays) by Australians, superseding the importance placed on Remembrance Day, Valentine’s Day, and even Father’s Day. In fact, almost half of Australians rank Mother’s Day as their most significant special day of the year.

The first Mother’s Day in Australia was held in 1924, several years after it first began in the US in 1908. Interestingly, while 168 countries celebrate Mother’s Day as an established tradition, just over half of those countries (51%, Australia included) celebrate Mother’s Day do so on the second Sunday of May. Other countries have adapted an alternate date linked to women through historical significance or religious significance.

The Australian Bureau of statistics has compiled some interesting facts about Mums:

  • MORE: In 2012-13 there were 6,227,200 Australian women aged 18 and over who had given birth to children.
  • OLDER: In 2013, the median age of all mothers was 30.8 years, compared to 30.5 years in 2003.The age of first-time mothers varies quite a bit: In 2012-13, 11 per cent of all mums had their first child when under the age of 20 while 7% were 35 years or older when they had their first child.
  • WORKING: In 2012-13, 59% of Australian children (0-14 years) had mums who were employed: 37 per cent full time and 63% part time. In June 2014, 71% of working mums used alternative work arrangements to care for their children 0-12 years. Flexible work was used by 39%, part time work by 38% and 19% worked at home.
  • ENTREPRENEURIAL: Also in June 2014, almost two in five (38%) of women who ran their own business had children under 15, and nearly one in five (18%), had a child aged 0-5.*
  • LONGER: And some mums have their children at home for a long time – in 2012-13, 17% of 25-34 year olds had never moved out of home.

The original post by The Australian Bureau of Statistics can be found here.

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