Comparing, Competing, and the Good Mum Ideology—Maternal Well-Being in the Context of Social Media

Abstract

Maternal competitiveness requires that mothers engage in a process of social comparison, and social media may facilitate this competition. However, social media may also perpetuate an unrealistic ideology about motherhood, which can have negative effects on well-being when mothers inevitably fail to stack up. To date, however, these relationships have not been explored. To test these relationships, participants consisting of 252 mothers (Mage = 31.50, primarily from Australia) completed an online survey. We found maternal competitiveness increased social comparison tendencies which subsequently increased investment in Instagram as well as internalization of intensive mothering ideology. Social comparison had both direct and indirect effects on well-being. Internalization of an intensive mothering ideology does not appear to be dependent on investment in social media, specifically. Overall, these results have theoretical implications for our understanding of the role of maternal competitiveness in social comparison, social media use, and maternal well-being.