At Peter Mayer, we believe culture is everything. It sets the context for everything we perceive. We’ve been exploring the culture of moms. After all, in the U.S., there are 75 million mothers, all of whom influence 85 percent of their households’ purchases. That’s about $2.1 trillion per year in spending, according to the Marketing to Moms Coalition. So we thought we would share a few cultural insights with you, in hopes that it will help you attract this important audience.

In the ’60s and ’70s, women fought hard for equal rights. Even though the Equal Rights Amendment was adopted by 38 states, it never received enough support to become a federal constitutional amendment. Nonetheless, women’s rights gained significant ground. And women got what they wanted – 47 percent are in the workforce today, with 22 percent of working moms reporting they outearn their husbands and 20 percent reporting a higher level of education than their spouses.

Those old enough might remember the lyrics to commercials for Enjoli perfume, whose slogan in the ’80s was “the 8-hour perfume for the 24-hour woman”:

I can bring home the bacon! Fry it up in a pan! And never let you forget you’re a man!

Cheesy? Definitely. But also emblematic of the image of the Superwoman that had begun to emerge. Moms were expected to work, as well as excel at all the home jobs they always had.

This image of Mom as a Superwoman reigned supreme for 20 years after that. In the ’60s, moms averaged less than five hours per week on paid work. Now, a mom splits her time equally between work, child care and housework. Her desire for perfection drove huge industries like prepared foods and created new product categories like the minivan. And even brand-new conveniences like care.com.

We seem to be in an age of realism in Mom culture nowadays. Sixty-five percent of moms agree that there is no such thing as a Supermom. And the vast majority of moms want their kids to know “the real them” – warts and all. They want to share their flaws instead of minimize or hide them. We are in an era of deeper personal satisfaction. Seventy-three percent of working moms believe they are doing a good job at the core job of motherhood. It appears that accepting and outwardly revealing that the work/life juggle is truly difficult increases satisfaction and productivity.

The bottom line for brands that target Mom: Be real. Acknowledge her never-ending quest for satisfaction, beyond the traditional definition of success. She sees brands as key partners in helping her self-direct her own happiness. So be personal, be accessible – and be real.