Meet the Household CEO

Meet the Household CEO. Working ‘9 to 5’ may resonate on Broadway, but in the real world it’s more like working two full-time jobs. Think of it as the on-the-cell-phone-with-colleagues-while-helping-the-kids-with-their-homework-and-making-sure-dinner’s-ready lifestyle. A new survey from Bill Me Later and Zappos.com of 645 women from across the United States captures a unique snapshot of this modern woman. (For the record, 68.55% of the respondents work outside the home, and another 5.6% work from home.)

v      31.35% of survey participants ranked their mobile phone/PDA as most important in helping them manage both household and professional responsibilities. The mobile phone outranks their significant other, social networking tools and hired help, aka nannies, maids, housekeepers, etc.

v      Asked who in the household is most responsible for decisions in particular  areas, the women ‘lead’ in these by a wide margin:

§         Household: 67.04%

§         Cooking: 62.34%

§         Kid’s Homework:  55.18%

§         Family Social Life:  50.85%

v      In other areas it’s not quite a majority, but many women are still most responsible:

§         Family Vacations: 45.39%

§         Kid’s Education: 43.88%

§         Retirement Planning: 37.48%

§         Car Care: 32.39%

v      The cell phone may be a lifeline but it also helps blur the distinction between home and work: Asked how often they find themselves “multi-tasking personal and professional responsibilities (e.g., helping kids with their homework while talking business with a co-worker on your cell phone,” more than half say it happens a lot.

§         Every day: 24.11%

§         Several Times a Week: 15.82%

§         About Once a Week: 6.78%

v      Tech newbies no more: Respondents were asked to describe their level of technical sophistication, but do these terms still mean what they did even a couple of years ago?

§         Know enough to get by: 52.35%

§         Tech-savvy: 24.29%

§         Tech-illiterate: 20- 3.77%

§         Tech-Newbie: 15- 2.82%

v      Social networking is the catch phrase du jour, but the question “Which of the following ‘social networking’ tools do you use on a regular basis?” reveals that ‘social’ is still mostly personal:   

§         Blogs: Personal: 10.36%, For Work: 1.32%

§         Facebook; Personal: 35.22%, For Work: 75%

§         Twitter: Personal: 10.36%, For Work: 1.32%

§         MySpace: Personal: 17.14%, For Work: 94%

§         Youtube: Personal: 23.35%, For Work: .75%

v      So here’s how it all comes together: The question, “How much of your time do you spend on household-related tasks, and how much on professional responsibilities?” yields the ultimate lifestyle snapshot:   

§         Household: 20%- Professional: 80%: 51- 9.60%

§         Household: 30%- Professional: 70%: 65- 12.24%

§         Household: 40%- Professional: 60%: 74- 13.94%

§         Household: 50%- Professional: 50%: 115- 21.66%

v      And finally, since this is the Household CEO, we asked, “How much household responsibility do you have now vs. three years ago?”

§         Much more now: 24.67%

§         A little more now: 11.30%

 

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Comments

[CEO]

The particular topic of your article is very interesting and it made me want to find lots more about it.