Soccer mom

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article is about the demographic term. For the film, see Soccer Mom (film). For the American artist with a similar name, see Soccer Mommy.

Soccer mom is a term that broadly refers to an American, Canadian, or Australian, middle-class, suburban woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting her school-age children to youth sporting events or other activities, whether or not they are soccer related. It came into widespread use during the 1996 United States presidential election and over time has come to take on an unfavorable connotation.

History

A soccer mom and her child at a refreshment stand at the Metropolitan Oval, a soccer complex in Queens, New York

The phrase "soccer mom" generally refers to a married, American, middle-class woman who lives in the suburbs and has school-age children.[1] She is sometimes portrayed in the media as busy or overburdened and driving a minivan or SUV.[1][2] She is also described as putting the interests of her family, and most importantly her children, ahead of her own.[1] The phrase derives from the literal, specific description of a mother who transports and watches her children play soccer.[2] It was also used in names of organizations of mothers who raised money to support their children's soccer teams.[2]

The first reference to the term "soccer mom" in the

United States national media has been traced to 1982. In that year, the husband of the treasurer of the "Soccer Moms booster club" of Ludlow, Massachusetts, stole $3,150 raised for the benefit of a local soccer league (equivalent to $9,900 in 2023).[2][3]

Indices of American magazines and newspapers show relatively little usage of the term until 1995,

city council, Susan B. Casey ran with the slogan: "A Soccer Mom for City Council."[2][4] Casey, who held a Ph.D. and managed presidential election campaigns, used the slogan as a way of assuring voters they could trust her to be "just like them,"[2] denoting herself as "everyneighbor."[4] The phrase addressed anxiety about women's achievements, and the stereotype that smart, accomplished women were not able to manage professional careers while showing love for their family.[2] Casey won the election with 51 percent of the vote.[5]

The term came into widespread use around the time of the

swing voter who will decide the election."[8]

Media interest in soccer moms picked up as the election approached. The number of articles on soccer moms in major newspapers increased from a combined total of 12 for the months of August and September to a total of 198 for October and November.[6] The intense media focus stemmed in large part from the media's belief that soccer moms had become the most sought-after group of swing voters in the 1996 elections. In the end, suburban women favored Clinton by 53 to 39 percent, while suburban men voted for Dole.[9]

During the election, the soccer mom's most frequently mentioned attribute cited in major newspaper articles was that she was a mother or a woman who had children.[6] The soccer mom's next most frequently mentioned characteristics were that "she lives in the suburbs (41.2% of the articles); is a swing voter (30.8%); is busy, harried, stressed out, or overburdened (28.4%); works outside the home (24.6%); drives a minivan, (usually a Volvo) station wagon or sport utility vehicle (20.9%); is middle-class (17.1%); is married (13.7%); and is white (13.3%)."[6]

Soccer moms received so much attention during the election that the

Macarena, Bob Dole, and "Rules Girls" as four phenomena that would be forever associated with the year 1996.[12]

Criticism

Soccer moms have been accused of

overparenting them in concerted cultivation rather than letting them enjoy their childhood.[13][failed verification][14]

In 2003, the car manufacturer Nissan, who had for several years courted the "soccer-mom" image, started marketing their Quest minivan as "stylish, sexy and desirable".[15]

Related terms

Security moms

During the

2004 presidential campaign, pundits started talking about the security mom, which was deemed to be a powerful voting bloc. Security moms were supposed to be concerned primarily with issues such as the war in Iraq, domestic terrorism
, and the security of their children.

There is evidence, however, that security moms did not exist in great enough numbers to influence the 2004 election outcome.

healthcare, which Democratic front runner John Kerry abandoned as a talking point, and may explain Kerry's difficulty in garnering their support.[16][17]

Hockey mom

Hockey mom is a term widely used in

full-size pickup truck. In the article, the truck is described as a "smooth and gutsy" vehicle that "ought to please everyone from hockey mom to cattle hauler".[19]

Former Alaska governor

convention, she joked that the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull was lipstick,[21] suggesting that hockey moms are tough.[22] "Hockey partisans" on the Internet claim that hockey moms are "a bit more intense than their soccer counterparts, both in terms of the commitments they make to the sport and the intensity with which they cheer their kids."[23]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-52-184492-5
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-58-005129-3
    .
  3. ^ Weisberg, Jacob (October 12, 1996). "Soccer Mom Nonsense". Slate. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Macfarquhar, Neil (October 20, 1996). "What's a Soccer Mom Anyway?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  5. ^ Germer, Fawn (June 7, 1995). "Casey, Himmelman Capture Council Seats: Former Teacher, Labor Leader Both Emphasize Children, Education". Rocky Mountain News (CO). Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  6. ^
    JSTOR 420743
    .
  7. ^ Dionne, E.J. Jr. (July 21, 1996). "Clinton Swipes the GOP's Lyrics; The Democrat as Liberal Republican". The Washington Post. p. C1.
  8. ^ Cornwell, Tim (November 1, 1996). "Bring on the soccer moms". The Independent. London. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  9. ^ Bennet, James (April 9, 2000). "Politics In The Burbs; Soccer Mom 2000". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  10. ^ Worland, Gayle (January 12, 1998). "Coming to Terms with 1997; Linguists Pick the Words Minted for the Year". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  11. ^ Safire, William (October 27, 1996). "On Language; Soccer Moms". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  12. ^ Schwartz, Jerry (December 30, 1996). "Macarena-ing Down Memory Lane". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ISBN 978-0-7528-7531-6
    .
  14. ISBN 978-0-241-14373-5
    .
  15. ^ "'SOCCER MOM' LOVES ROLE, BUT THE STEREOTYPE STINKS." The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) (September 28, 2003): C1.
  16. ^ Klinker, Philip (2004) 'Deflating the "security moms" angle', Newsday, Oct 5, p. A45.
  17. ^ Morin, Richard & Balz, Dan (2004) '"Security mom" bloc proves hard to find: The phenomenon may be a myth', The Washington Post, Oct 1, p. A05.
  18. ^ Canada.com Archived January 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Tony Gallagher, "Smithers should name rink for hockey moms." Vancouver Province, August 28, 2008.
  19. ^ COBB, JAMES (May 30, 1999). "BEHIND THE WHEEL/Chevrolet Silverado; The Cover Is Familiar But the Book Is All New". New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  20. ^ Bajaj, Vikas; et al. (November 9, 2006). "THE 2006 ELECTIONS: STATE BY STATE; West". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  21. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth; Cooper, Michael (September 4, 2008). "Palin Assails Critics and Electrifies Party". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  22. ^ Parsons, Dana (September 5, 2008). "Hockey moms are tough for a reason". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  23. ^ Leibenluft, Jacob (September 4, 2008). "Hockey Moms vs. Soccer Moms Which is the more important voting demographic?". slate.com. Slate.com. Retrieved September 8, 2008.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soccer mom.
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