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Richa Sharma, 30, a mother of two is an ardent motherhood blogger.  Richa’s husband was in the merchant navy when she decided to explore the internet for work opportunities. She joined the social media and with time, developed a sense of bonding with an online community of mothers.  Sharing her experiences with them became more engaging and rewarding. Her blogs received wide appreciation online for helping the community of mothers. While there are several online social platforms which cater to different age and interest groups, there are very few that are solely dedicated to motherhood. The demand for such platforms is on the rise as women are increasingly taking to social media for gaining experiences and information regarding parenthood, especially those from nuclear families as well as working and single mothers.

According to reports, Facebook touched 125 million users in India last year, making it the social networking giant’s second largest market globally. According to the Singapore-based analytics firm, ‘We Are Social’, men made up an overwhelming 76% of the Facebook user base. This implies that only 24% female users use Facebook in India. However, according to Boston Consulting Group and Retailers Association of India, “The gap is going to shrink in the coming years, as women will reach a 40% share in internet usage by 2020.” With growing number of women users, women-centric blogs and sites gain salience.

mycity4kids, a popular parenting app, was initiated in 2012 with an aim to tap into this emerging market. Vishal Gupta, Co-Founder, mycity4kids, told BE, “I along with Prashant Sinha and Asif Mohamed initiated mycity4kids. We understood that society and social norms have changed and this has in turn impacted the flow of parenting knowledge. Nuclear families, high mobility of families, working spouses, and virtual communities are some examples of this change. We felt an inherent need for a social platform that will allow mothers to share their parenting experience which in turn will help other mothers.”

Gupta added that around seven million women engage with his app every month. He stated, “We have more than 4000 bloggers with more than 30,000 blogs. Regional language content on our platform is getting huge traction from our readers and contributors which have helped us to expand our presence to tier 2 and tier 3 cities.” According to a report by Pew Research Center, mothers are more likely engage in parenting discussions as compared to fathers. Currently, mothers are among the most prolific bloggers online and a large quantity of serious and useable content is generated by this community on various parenting issues.

Richa Sharma told BE, “I always knew about mycity4kids platform. I think it was Facebook that introduced me to this app. My blogs range from child safety and educational challenges to social stigmas.”

According to a Forbes article published in 2014, there was an estimated 4.4 million “mommy bloggers” and the market has expanded since then. Content platforms for women in India will encourage mothers to participate in discussions, find solutions and engage in multitasking activities.

Gupta informed, “Our blogs have become the largest user-generated content platform for women in India. We provide platform for engagement of mothers in terms of contributing  content, discussing issues, and give them access to everything that they might need. The platform also provides content in vernacular languages like Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu which has helped the platform to spread its geographical reach. We have also developed India’s first video channel for mothers called Momspresso which captures Indian nuances related to parenting and motherhood.”

These platforms provide opportunity to discuss issues that might still be considered social taboos. Issues like post partum depression are generally not discussed openly and women are hesitant in discussing those issues publicly.

Gupta told BE, “We engage experts in relevant domain to create awareness around social issues related to parenthood. The platform also allows access to information that may be critical for women to nurse their kids. The special feature is the blogs contributed by mothers. It is popular because every mother feels that she’s not alone and there is someone else going through exactly the same experience.”

Mothers speak

Luna Maity, 48, told BE, “I got married at an early age of 18, and gave birth to my son at the age of 21. Back then, there were no such platforms where we could engage ourselves and learn about important issues related to parenthood. Today, my son helps me participate in these social platforms and blogs. I have started my own boutique and promote it through social media. I am happy that I am occupied now.”

Vedica Saxena, 29, told BE, “I am a mother and I stay at home. Apps have definitely become very convenient. I am also a user of mycity4kids app. For me, an app eases the whole experience of writing since I don’t have to login every time I have to use. Also the updates and notifications can be viewed instantly.”