Moms Bullying Moms: Survey Finds 80% of Moms Have Been "Mom Shamed," Mostly By Other Moms

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2016 -- “Moms bullying moms” is among the most surprising findings of a new survey conducted by mom.life, the app for modern moms. The research, which sought to better understand the far-reaching effects of “mom shaming” or bullying, found that other moms are the greatest source of unwanted advice and criticism.

#StopMomShaming

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The survey found that nearly 80 percent of respondents had been mom shamed or bullied for their parenting choices. Nearly 70 percent of those who had been shamed were shamed by other moms.  More than 53 percent said that shaming happens frequently or is rampant.  At 7 percent, dads were the least likely to be shamers.

The leading focus of the shaming was their feeding choice (breastfeeding, bottle, solids) followed by parenting style.

“It seems that every day, there is another viral story about a mom being shamed -- whether it’s a celebrity like Chrissy Teigen who was just shamed over how she appeared to be carrying her baby in a photo, or an everyday mom like Kristen Hilderman for breastfeeding her baby on a plane,” says Dee Anna McPherson, president, CMO and co-founder of mom.life.  “But the problem extends beyond celebrities and the headlines we read.  Nearly 80 percent of moms report being shamed, so the practice has clearly become common and it needs to stop.  That’s why we are asking moms to share their personal stories in social media using #StopMomShaming.”

While celebrities face constant scrutiny from strangers online, our survey respondents were more likely to be shamed by relatives and acquaintances.  Less than half of our respondents (45 percent) had been shamed by strangers.

According to the survey, bullying actually happens more in-person than online, although 39 percent of those who were bullied experienced it online.  In fact, nearly 44 percent cited online shaming as motivation for joining mom.life, which is moderated and doesn’t allow shaming.

Moms who participated in the survey were largely Millennial moms between the ages of 18-32.  Their most common response to the shaming was to try to explain themselves to the bully (nearly 38 percent) while 29 percent choose to ignore them.  In terms of how the women felt when they were shamed, 57 percent said they became annoyed, followed by angry at 25 percent.

A key finding of the survey is that, ultimately, the shaming is pointless. While it may make a mom feel annoyed and angry, it doesn’t impact her parenting decisions.  In fact, less than one percent of respondents said they changed their parenting beliefs as result of being shamed.

#StopMomShaming
Mom.life today launched a social media campaign called #StopMomShaming to create a movement to end this type of bullying.

We invite moms to share their personal stories in social media using the #StopMomShaming hashtag.  The campaign is intended to help raise awareness of the scale and impact of this problem, while creating a positive network of moms to share experiences and support each other as parents. Anyone interested in learning more about this issue can read our blog and join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #StopMomShaming.

Mom.life also offers an advocate network of moms who support each other and offer advice on how to respond to such criticism. To join the mom.life community, simply download the free app at https://mom.life/

About mom.life
With more than 700,000 downloads and growing, mom.life is a free mobile app where modern moms meet, chat, support each other and tap into the parenting wisdom of the community. The live-moderated community fosters a supportive environment that respects and celebrates the authentic and individual parenting decisions that moms make every day. Mom.life features a social network feed, group chat, dedicated groups for special interests and parenting content.

Connect with mom.life in social media:
mom.life blog: https://mom.life/en/blog
Mom.life Facebook: mom.life.community
mom.life Instagram: mom.life.app
mom.life Pinterest: mom.life
mom.life Twitter: @mom_life_app

Contact:
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