Affluent women age 18-54 — defined as having annual household incomes exceeding $100,000 a year — engage in typical well-heeled behaviors, such as antiquing, redecorating, and traveling. 
One in three affluent women without children (34%), for instance, attends art auctions or gallery exhibits, compared to 23% of affluent moms, according to Ipsos Mendelsohn and Ipsos OTX.
Adding children to the mix means women give up estate sales for more low-brow activities (if only until their children are grown and leave home). Affluent moms, for example, are more likely than their non-parent counterparts to have recently visited a sporting event (64% vs. 57%) or theme park (15% vs. 7%).
Affluent families are more likely than their less-affluent counterparts to own multiple sets of products. The vast majority of affluent moms have at least two cars and three TV sets.
The key time for affluent families multiple purchases occurs during their children’s tween years; for example, 20% of families with kids under six own at least two desktop computers compared with 33% of families with kids 6-11. Similarly, the number of affluent households with at least four cell phones nearly doubles from 16% of households with kids under age six to 30% of households with 6-11-year-olds.
Affluent households feature the latest tech gadgets, with affluent moms using them to save time. For instance, 42% of moms with children under age six always fast-forward through commercials, compared to 34% of affluent women without children.
Affluent moms with children also are more avid Web users, being more likely than non-moms to maintain a profile on a social networking site (42% vs. 33%), find coupons online (42% vs. 37%), and play games online (48% vs. 44%).
Source: “Affluent Mothers Of Young Children,” Ipsos OTX, Donna Sabino, SVP Kids and Family Insights, 212-524-8242; dsabino@otxresearch.com; www.ipsos-na.com. Price: Call for information.
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