Poll — Majority of Americans: Being a Mom ‘Most Important Role for a Woman to Fill in Today’s World’

With Mother’s Day approaching on Sunday, a majority of Americans believe being a mother is “the most important role for a woman to fill in today’s world,” a Rasmussen Reports survey found.

More than half of American adults (54 percent) agreed when asked, “Is being a mother the most important role for a woman to fill in today’s world?” That percentage is down slightly from 56 percent in 2023. Nearly one-third (31 percent) disagreed, while 15 percent were unsure.

By political affiliation, Republicans (72 percent) are much more likely than Democrats (45 percent) and unaffiliated voters (46 percent) to say being a mother is the most important role for women to fill.

However, Americans of all political persuasions place similar value on celebrating Mother’s Day. Thirty-one percent of Democrats and Republicans say Mother’s Day is one of the nation’s most important holidays, as do 22 percent of unaffiliated voters.

Twenty-nine percent of survey respondents overall agree that Mother’s Day is one of the nation’s most important holidays, down from 34 percent in 2023. Fifty-four percent say the holiday ranks somewhere in between, while 15 percent say Mother’s Day is one of the least important holidays.

“Americans usually rank Christmas as the most important holiday, but, last year, slightly more said the Fourth of July was most important,” according to the poll report. 

Interestingly, men are slightly more likely than women to say motherhood is one of women’s most important roles, 56 percent to 52 percent.

Majorities of Americans of varying ethnicities agree that being a mother is “the most important role” for women, including 50 percent of white respondents, 57 percent of black respondents, 66 percent of Hispanic respondents, and 55 percent of other minority respondents, the survey found.

By age group, Americans who are 65 and above are more likely to believe being a mother is the “most important role” for women, while “men under 40 place the least importance on motherhood.”

The survey was conducted with 1,260 American adults on May 2 and from May 5-6, 2024. The margin of sampling error is ± three percentage points with a 95 percent confidence level.