Report Finds LGBT Parents and Millennial Fathers Misrepresented by Brands

By CommPro.biz Editorial Staff

As an increasing amount of Millennials become parents, it seems that advertisers aren’t keeping up and are missing a significant opportunity with an influential generation of moms and dads, reveals a report released today by Engine Group's Cassandra, the leading company for youth insights and emerging trends.

Cassandra's Modern Parents Report found only 19 percent of Millennial parents in the U.S. felt that fathers were fairly represented by brands.  That number drops quickly to 9 percent when the same parents were asked about the representation of LGBT parents by advertisers.

"Brands are still depicting dads as bumbling or uninformed when it comes to caring for their children, and as a result, they're alienating a key segment of the parenting population," said Melanie Shreffler, Senior Insights Director at Cassandra. "That stereotype does not resonate with an open-minded generation that has moved beyond traditional gender roles and family units.”

The report reveals:

• Millennial dads (not moms) dominate social media.
• Millennial dads are significantly more likely than Millennial moms to style or stage photos of their child for the purpose of posting them on social media.
• They are also more likely than Millennial moms to post videos of their child online.
• Millennial dads are also just as likely as Millennial moms to comment or blog about their child's achievements or activities online.
• Stay-at-home dads (SAHDs) overall feel more fulfilled in their roles than stay-at-home Moms (SAHMs).
• Only 11 percent of SAHDs would prefer to have a job or career (compared to 13 percent of SAHMs).
• SAHDs are much less likely to report feeling:
• Exhausted at just 28 percent (compared to 56 percent for SAHMs)
• Stressed at 32 percent (compared to 49 percent of SAHMs)
• And under-appreciated, at 15 percent (compared to 40 percent for SAHMs)
• Shreffler added, "Millennial dads are not simply inhabiting the role traditionally reserved for mothers. They are embracing the opportunity and putting their own twists on parenting. We are seeing this in viral videos of dads doing their daughters' hair and the recent Cheerios Challenge."

The report also found shifting trends in the following areas:

Parenting Style

After growing up with Boomer "peerents" who acted like their children's friends, Millennials are rebounding from this approach and adopting a parenting style that in which they are more of a mentor or guide role, encouraging their kids to find their independence and take an active role in family decision making.

Permissiveness

Millennial parents are lax when it comes to their kids trying alcohol and marijuana.

The average age at which parents believe it is acceptable for their kids to drink alcohol is 19, while the average age at which they believe it is acceptable to use marijuana is 14.

Quality Family Time

Millennial parents are not fighting the invasion of technology in family life, which they consider a given; instead they are finding ways to use it to their advantage and bring their families closer together.

To learn about additional insights uncovered in Cassandra's Modern Parents Report or for information on how to subscribe, visit www.cassandra.co.