Watch out Helen, PC is so 1980s

Today's parents of young children go to work to survive, would like to grill Prime Minister Helen Clark on her policies and are not afraid to buy their clothes from The Warehouse.

A lifestyle study shows women with children aged up to 5 are sick of political correctness, would like to have coffee with Keanu Reeves and admire director Peter Jackson.

They worry about balancing being a mother with the need to work and are past caring about brand names. Many in the study could not name a top adult clothing brand but could name several for children.

Their husbands and partners share the same ambivalence towards brand names and hate the "advertising evils". They would like coffee with Paul McCartney, Nelson Mandela or Mohammed Ali but don't have idols, and they all know about doing a white and a coloured clothes wash.

The study, McCann Pulse, by the research arm of media and advertising company Universal McCann, gives a snapshot of "family builders" - parents of children aged up to 5.

It is part of an ongoing project to gauge the attitudes, values and beliefs of people at different stages of their lives.

The common strand for both male and female family builders is the urge to confront the Prime Minister about "over-the-top PC" and the rationale behind "social engineering".

Nimesh Amin, Universal Connections general manager, said that political concern was the strongest theme for both mums and dads.

"It does not seem to make sense to them anymore - they hear things like they are not allowed to have an egg and spoon race in schools anymore."

Most family builders needed both parents to be earning an income to survive and many wanted more flexible work environments and better childcare options to allow this, Mr Amin said.

The study showed that becoming a parent was a shock to the system, which family builders admired their own parents for dealing with.

Most fathers wanted to be different from their own dads.

"They remember sitting in the car outside the pub waiting for dad," said Mr Amin, "so they want to be much more involved in bathing, reading and other activities with their own kids."

Parent Profiles

Family-building women

Dislike political correctness.

Aren't afraid to shop for clothes at The Warehouse.

Would like coffee with Keanu Reeves.

Family-building men

Don't want to be like their own fathers.

Would like coffee with Paul McCartney.

Disagree with social engineering.