Fw: Mother's Day Status Report: The Mother Lode

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----- Original Message ----- From: Zuckerman

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Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 8:02 PM

Subject: Mother's Day Status Report: The Mother Lode

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 7 2003

Media Contact: Cathleen Witter

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The National Center for Policy Research for Women & Families Releases 2003 Mother Lode:

The State of American MothersWashington, D.C.-The National Center for Policy Research (CPR) for Women & Families, continuing in its mission to use research to inform, educate and improve the lives of women and families, is releasing its first annual status report, the 2003 Mother Lode, for Mother's Day. The Mother Lode is a collection of research-based information that illustrates the triumphs and challenges of the most significant Americans: Mothers."Motherhood is the toughest job, but it's also the best job," said CPR's President, Dr. Zuckerman. "This year, we found that while more mothers are working outside the home, they are also spending more time with their children. And 85 percent of moms tell their kids they love them every day. The Mother Lode is one way to take time off from our policy research work to say thanks to our moms for the load they carry."

The Mother Lode*

U.S. mothers give birth to an average of 1.9 children in their lifetime.Average age of mothers at the birth of their first baby: 25Average age in 1970: 21Number of births in America every day: 10,000Number of births per minute: 6.9If your mother is alive, the chance that you'll speak to her daily: Nearly 1 in 2Percentage of mothers with children under the age of 13 who hug their child everyday: 87%Percentage who tell their child that they love them daily: 85%Chance that a woman over the age of 45 is a mother: 86%Chance that a woman between the ages of 25-44 is a mother: 74%Chance that a woman between the ages of 18-24 is a mother: 31%Longest running TV mom: Harriet Number of hours per week children ages 3 to 12 spent with their moms in 1997: 29Number of hours per week children ages 3 to 12 spent with their moms in 1981: 24Percentage of all mothers who are involved in more than one activity for their kids' school: 65%Percentage of mothers with children under the age of 1 who work: 55%Percentage of mothers with children under the age of 1 who worked in 1976: 31%Maternal mortality rate for every 100,000 pregnancies for white mothers: 8.1Maternal mortality rate for every 100,000 pregnancies for black mothers: 30Percentage of women who agree that one parent can bring up a child as well as two parents: 42%Percentage of single parents who are mothers: 82%Chance that a family headed by a single mom lives below the federal poverty level: 1 in 3Percentage of mothers with children under 18 who are employed: 72%Percentage of single moms with children under 18 who are employed: 70%Percentage of married Moms with children under 18 who are employed: 79%Person most admired by college freshmen: Mom###CPR for Women & Families, a Washington-based nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, focuses on health policy issues for women and families. CPR provides information that can be used to improve the lives of women and families by gathering and synthesizing research information and explaining its implications to consumers, the media, policy makers and opinion leaders.

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* All statistics refer to mothers in the U.S.

Footnote information available upon request.