Oxygen Media released initial findings of a study conducted by uSamp, providing insights into motherhood and adoption, revealing that Americans are becoming increasingly more acceptable of societal changes in how traditional family is defined and judged, along with the changing roles men and women take on in this new family dynamic. Read the full press release:
DIFF’RENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS: OXYGEN MEDIA STUDY
REVEALS THE CLEAVERS AND THE HUXTABLES ARE BECOMING AN
HISTORICAL REFERENCE RATHER THAN AN IMAGE OF TRADITIONAL FAMILY
87% Of Americans Believe The Definition Of A Traditional Family Has Evolved And 55% Say There Is No Such Thing As A Traditional Family Anymore
More People Define a “Mother” As The Woman Who Raised You (82%)
Than As The Woman Who Gave Birth To You (53%)
Oxygen Media Captures New Societal Changes With Families In
Emotional Docu-Short “The Untold Stories Of Motherhood”
By Award-Winning Director Marilyn Agrelo (“Mad Hot Ballroom”)
Watch below:
New York, NY – May 8, 2013 – Oxygen Media released initial findings of a study conducted by uSamp, providing insights into motherhood and adoption, revealing that a whopping 87 percent of Americans believe the definition of a traditional family has evolved and 55 percent say there is no longer traditional family. “Diff’rent Strokes” dad, Phillip Drummond, may have been ahead of his time when his character adopted Arnold and Willis Jackson, but with 75 percent of adults revealing that TV and Media have had an effect on how they view today’s idea of a traditional family, television series that represent the new normal continue to depict what’s becoming more acceptable. The study reveals American’s are becoming increasingly more acceptable of societal changes in how traditional family is defined and judged, along with the changing roles men and woman take on in this new family dynamic. When looking at the idea of motherhood, more people define a “mother” as the woman who raised you (82 percent) compared to the woman who gave birth to you (53 percent). The study coincides with Oxygen Media’s first ever docu-short, the emotional and uplifting “The Untold Stories of Motherhood,” which delves into the lives of various people and their individual stories of parenting, by award-winning Director Marilyn Agrelo (“Mad Hot Ballroom.”)
“Oxygen’s emotional documentary film, 'The Untold Stories of Motherhood,’ brings these findings to life by showcasing young women who have chosen to live life on their own terms, pushing the definitions of motherhood and the traditional family,” said Jane Olson, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Brand Strategy, Oxygen Media. "As we lead up to the premiere of 'I'm Having Their Baby', a series that tells the untold stories of adoption, this study brings to life Americans’ growing acceptance of these societal changes and how their views have changed on what defines a mother’s role today.”
Societal Changes
Data from the study reveal that societal changes are becoming more acceptable to the general population than they were 10 years ago.
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Adopting a child from a different race than your own (87 percent)
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Interracial families (87 percent)
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Stay-at-home father (86 percent)
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Same-sex marriage (85 percent)
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Single parent homes (84 percent)
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Same-sex adoption (83 percent)
More people believe same-sex couples can be great parents (79 percent), women are taking on traditionally male roles today (88 percent), men take on traditionally female roles (76 percent), and even a single father can act as a mom (78 percent).
Additionally, Americans today are seeing the benefits of mixing families, whether it’s race, biology or sexual orientation and 94 percent think mixed families (those with both biological and adoptive children) are becoming more common. Children from interracial families are exposed to more culture (51 percent) and are thus more accepting of other races and ethnicities (65 percent). Furthermore, 79 percent of adults think that same-sex couples can be great parents and can give their children the same opportunities and love to their children (73 percent) as heterosexual couples.
Traditional Families
Most Americans admit that the definition of a traditional family has changed over the past few years.
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87 percent agree that the definition of a traditional family has evolved over the past few years
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55 percent think that there is no such thing as a traditional family anymore
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Nearly 2/3 feel that the idea of a “man, woman, and their children” is no longer the “normal” in today’s society (60 percent)
While natural conception is thought to be the most accepted way to have a child, when it comes to starting a family, people also approve of:
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Adoption (92 percent)
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Foster parenting (81 percent)
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Fertility treatments (77 percent)
Motherhood
Though Americans seem to agree that the faces of motherhood and traditional families are changing, there still seems to be some disagreement as to what it means to be a mother. While over 3/4 feel that everyone has a mother (79 percent), half of the respondents think that a mother has to be a woman while the other half thinks that the term mother is up for interpretation (50 percent vs. 50 percent).
With adoptive parenting, 61 percent think that you’re a mother even after you place the child for adoption. Once you have a child, you’re a parent for the rest of your life (96 percent), even if the child dies (93 percent) and you can be a parent even if the child isn’t biologically related to you (91 percent) because a parent is the person who raised you (96 percent).
When it comes to mother vs. father, people would call their mom to ask for help regardless of sex or age, where as dad is called upon for simpler things such as learning to drive (62 percent) or when kids need money (51 percent).
Mom is the parent to call when:
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Need new clothes (81 percent)
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Get dumped (75 percent)
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Have first kiss (73 percent)
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Fail a test (71 percent)
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Lose virginity (69 percent)
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Need a ride home when you’re high (58 percent) or drunk (45 percent) or when busted for shoplifting (57 percent)
“The Untold Stories of Motherhood” delves into the lives of various people and their individual stories of parenting to showcase the many faces of motherhood. The docu-short, directed by award-winning Director Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom), highlights the unique stories of today’s new modern family and their remarkable bonds of love, from open adoption to same-sex parenting. The full docu-short and additional video components are available on Oxygen.com, the show’s YouTube channel, Facebook page and is being promoted on national cable television with additional support on our NBC Universal sister networks.
The emotional docu-short is the network’s first-ever commissioned film piece to launch a series, which supports “I’m Having Their Baby,” an hour-long series that documents a range of poignant, personal stories of women struggling with an unplanned pregnancy and ultimately deciding whether or not to place their baby in the hands of another family. Season two, premiering Wednesday, June 12 at 10 PM ET/PT, delves deeper into the lives of birth mothers entering the adoption process, their family and friends affected by their decision and in some cases the potential adoptive couples.
Additionally, on Sunday, May 12, Oxygen.com will premiere a web series featuring five of the birth mothers from season one of “I’m Having Their Baby.” The short-form videos will focus on the mother’s lives and how they are handling their decision of adoption and their current relationship with the adoptive families.
About Oxygen Media
Oxygen Media is a multiplatform entertainment brand that delivers relevant and engaging content to young women who like to "live out loud." Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women's media by changing how the world sees entertainment from a young woman's point of view. Through a vast array of unconventional and original content, including “The Glee Project,” “The Face,” "Best Ink," “I’m Having Their Baby” and "Bad Girls Club," the growing cable network is the premier destination to find unique and groundbreaking unscripted programming. “The Glee Project” is a winner of a 2012 Gracie Award which honors programming created for women, by women and about women for “Outstanding Reality Show.” A social media trendsetter, Oxygen is a leading force in engaging modern young women, wherever they are, with popular, award winning features online including www.OxygenLive.com, the real time social viewing party that is also available as an app for the iPhone and iPad. Oxygen is available in 80 million homes, and can be found online and on mobile devices at www.oxygen.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OxygenPR. Oxygen Media is a service of NBCUniversal.
About This Research
Between April 23 and April 29, 2013, the Oxygen Media Insights Group commissioned uSamp Research to survey a nationally representative sample of 1,023 U.S. adults. The survey included questions about consumers' attitudes toward adoption, traditional families, and parenting.
About uSamp
uSamp, the fastest growing company in the Market Research Industry, is a premier provider of technology and survey respondents used to obtain consumer and business insights. uSamp’s leading mobile technology and SaaS platform transform the way companies gain intelligence to make better, faster decisions about their products and services by tapping into uSamp’s 12 million member global panel of survey respondents. Through uSamp’s proprietary technologies for self-serve sampling and survey authoring, companies have on-demand access to millions of profiled survey respondents. uSamp is based in Los Angeles, with five offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. The company has more than 200 team members worldwide. uSamp was No. 213 on the 2012 Inc. 500|5000 exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies and is recognized on the 2011 and 2012 Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Company list. Please visit www.usamp.com
