What Working Mothers Want for Mother's Day is 'Time Free From Making Decisions,' 37% Answered
A survey by mog Inc. targeting working mothers revealed that their daily burden stems not just from a lack of time, but from the invisible mental load of constant decision-making. What they desire most for Mother's Day is 'time where they don't have to decide anything'.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 02:49 (16h 17m after Collected)
mog Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Akie Inada) conducted a "Mother's Day Questionnaire" in April 2026, targeting 71 working women (working mothers) raising children under the age of 15. The results revealed that the true nature of the burden working mothers feel in their daily lives is not just a "lack of time," but also an "invisible mental load" such as "constantly having to think" and "putting themselves last."
It was suggested that what they want most for Mother's Day is not just "free time," but "time where they don't have to decide anything."
[Survey Results Summary]
- The #1 burden felt in daily life is "having too much to do and being pressed for time," and #2 is "difficulty prioritizing work or oneself."
- The #1 "most appreciated gift" for Mother's Day is "time to use freely" at 36.6%, greatly exceeding "flowers or sweets" at 8.4%.
- The #1 reason for choosing "free time" is "because I want time and space for work or myself" at 33.9%, and #2 is "because I want to spend time without thinking about anything" at 28.8%.
■ The true nature of daily burdens is not "time" but "mental load"
(Figure 1: What feels burdensome in daily life)
When asked what they feel is a "burden" in their daily lives, the results were as follows:
1st: "Having too much to do and being pressed for time" 26.3%
2nd: "Difficulty prioritizing oneself" 20.6%
3rd: "Deciding what to do" 19.4%
4th: "Housework and childcare itself" 12.0%
5th: "Feeling the need to do housework and childcare properly" 10.3%
In addition to "lack of time," mental factors such as "putting oneself last" and "decision-making" ranked in the top three. This suggests that the essence of a working mother's burden lies not only in the "volume of tasks" but also in "mental performance," including thoughts and emotions.
■ What is "most appreciated" for Mother's Day is "free time" rather than "things"
(Figure 2: "Most appreciated gift" for Mother's Day)
When asked what they would be "most happy to receive" on Mother's Day, the results were as follows:
1st: "Free time to use for work or myself" 36.6%
2nd: "Eating out or traveling" 16.9%
2nd: "Letters or feelings of gratitude" 16.9%
4th: "Housekeeping services" 5.6%
4th: "Labor-saving home appliances" 5.6%
"Time to use freely" significantly outperformed classic gifts such as flowers, gifts, and sweets. It became clear that for working mothers, the value of "time" and "blank space" is higher than that of "things."
■ What they want is not just "time" but "a state where they don't have to think about anything"
(Figure 3: Reason for making "free time to use for work or myself" the most appreciated gift)
The reasons for answering that "free time" would make them the happiest were as follows:
1st: "Because I want time and space for work or myself" 33.9%
2nd: "Because I want to spend time without thinking about anything" 28.8%
3rd: "Because I want to be freed from housework and childcare" 18.6%
4th: "Because it lifts my spirits and makes me happy" 10.2%
5th: "Because I can feel a sense of specialness and reward" 5.1%
It was found that what working mothers want is not just "time itself," but "a state of being freed from decision-making and worrying about others."
■ The #1 "state where the mind feels at ease" is "not thinking about anything"
(Figure 4: Things in daily life that make you think "if I just had this, my heart and head would be at ease")
When asked what they think "would put my heart and head at ease if I had it" in their daily lives, the results were as follows:
1st: "A state where I can spend time without thinking about anything" 21.9%
2nd: "An environment where my pace is not disrupted" 18.8%
3rd: "The peace of mind of being able to leave everything to someone else" 16.3%
4th: "A state where I don't have to decide on meals or schedules myself" 15.6%
5th: "An environment where I don't have to worry about people around me" 12.5%
The top three items all indicate "a state of being freed from thoughts, roles, and responsibilities." It can be said that what working mothers seek is not merely time or physical leeway, but "mental liberation."
[Survey Overview]
- Survey Name: "Questionnaire regarding Mother's Day"
- Survey Period: April 2 to April 8, 2026
- Survey Method: Internet survey
- Survey Target: Working women raising children under 15 (gathered mainly from mog career members)
- Valid Responses: 71 people
■ Representative's Message
Through this survey, I realized once again that the burden on working mothers is not simply "busyness," but rather an invisible mental load such as "constantly having to think" and "putting themselves last."
It was suggested that what they want most for Mother's Day is not just "free time," but "time where they don't have to decide anything."
[Survey Results Summary]
- The #1 burden felt in daily life is "having too much to do and being pressed for time," and #2 is "difficulty prioritizing work or oneself."
- The #1 "most appreciated gift" for Mother's Day is "time to use freely" at 36.6%, greatly exceeding "flowers or sweets" at 8.4%.
- The #1 reason for choosing "free time" is "because I want time and space for work or myself" at 33.9%, and #2 is "because I want to spend time without thinking about anything" at 28.8%.
■ The true nature of daily burdens is not "time" but "mental load"
(Figure 1: What feels burdensome in daily life)
When asked what they feel is a "burden" in their daily lives, the results were as follows:
1st: "Having too much to do and being pressed for time" 26.3%
2nd: "Difficulty prioritizing oneself" 20.6%
3rd: "Deciding what to do" 19.4%
4th: "Housework and childcare itself" 12.0%
5th: "Feeling the need to do housework and childcare properly" 10.3%
In addition to "lack of time," mental factors such as "putting oneself last" and "decision-making" ranked in the top three. This suggests that the essence of a working mother's burden lies not only in the "volume of tasks" but also in "mental performance," including thoughts and emotions.
■ What is "most appreciated" for Mother's Day is "free time" rather than "things"
(Figure 2: "Most appreciated gift" for Mother's Day)
When asked what they would be "most happy to receive" on Mother's Day, the results were as follows:
1st: "Free time to use for work or myself" 36.6%
2nd: "Eating out or traveling" 16.9%
2nd: "Letters or feelings of gratitude" 16.9%
4th: "Housekeeping services" 5.6%
4th: "Labor-saving home appliances" 5.6%
"Time to use freely" significantly outperformed classic gifts such as flowers, gifts, and sweets. It became clear that for working mothers, the value of "time" and "blank space" is higher than that of "things."
■ What they want is not just "time" but "a state where they don't have to think about anything"
(Figure 3: Reason for making "free time to use for work or myself" the most appreciated gift)
The reasons for answering that "free time" would make them the happiest were as follows:
1st: "Because I want time and space for work or myself" 33.9%
2nd: "Because I want to spend time without thinking about anything" 28.8%
3rd: "Because I want to be freed from housework and childcare" 18.6%
4th: "Because it lifts my spirits and makes me happy" 10.2%
5th: "Because I can feel a sense of specialness and reward" 5.1%
It was found that what working mothers want is not just "time itself," but "a state of being freed from decision-making and worrying about others."
■ The #1 "state where the mind feels at ease" is "not thinking about anything"
(Figure 4: Things in daily life that make you think "if I just had this, my heart and head would be at ease")
When asked what they think "would put my heart and head at ease if I had it" in their daily lives, the results were as follows:
1st: "A state where I can spend time without thinking about anything" 21.9%
2nd: "An environment where my pace is not disrupted" 18.8%
3rd: "The peace of mind of being able to leave everything to someone else" 16.3%
4th: "A state where I don't have to decide on meals or schedules myself" 15.6%
5th: "An environment where I don't have to worry about people around me" 12.5%
The top three items all indicate "a state of being freed from thoughts, roles, and responsibilities." It can be said that what working mothers seek is not merely time or physical leeway, but "mental liberation."
[Survey Overview]
- Survey Name: "Questionnaire regarding Mother's Day"
- Survey Period: April 2 to April 8, 2026
- Survey Method: Internet survey
- Survey Target: Working women raising children under 15 (gathered mainly from mog career members)
- Valid Responses: 71 people
■ Representative's Message
Through this survey, I realized once again that the burden on working mothers is not simply "busyness," but rather an invisible mental load such as "constantly having to think" and "putting themselves last."