European mums find time to spend online

European mums with children aged 18 and under spend more time online than their childless counterparts, according to the first EIAA “Digital Mums Report”. Some 62 percent of women across Europe with children aged 0-18 years old regularly go online, compared with just 44 percent of women without children under 18. That’s a 9 percent rise since 2005.

Personal web use took up the majority of online time for both groups, over 70 percent of online time. Mums with children under 18 tend to spend more time online overall, especially at weekends and during the evenings.

"For time-pressed, multi-tasking mums, the Internet is increasingly playing a crucial role in enriching their busy everyday lives. Not only does the Internet help mums maximize time and keep control of family life and demands but it is also proving to be a valuable networking tool," said Alison Fennah, executive director of the EIAA.

So how are these busy mums fitting the internet in to their daily lives? Sixty-nine percent are giving up time once devoted to other activities. Over a third watch less television, just over a quarter talk less on the phone, 24 percent read less books, 23 percent read less magazines and 22 percent read less newspapers.

Additional findings from the EIAA report include:

- Digital mums with babies and very young children are more likely to visit family and kid’s websites (61 percent) and banking/finance sites (63 percent).

- Digital mums shop online more than women without children. 79 percent of digital mums have bought items online, spending an average of 644 euros and buying 10 items in six months.

- Digital mums multi-task their media with 17 percent watching the television while they are online.

Tags: EIAA, Europe, internet usage, mums