Parenthood can be one of life’s most enriching challenges but tends to leave mums and dads time poor. In a survey commissioned by Netflix in the Middle East, two thirds (66%) of parents admitted to losing between 3-6 hours of personal ‘me time’ after having a child.
With such little time to themselves, parents in Egypt are turning to Netflix to get their TV fix in for escapism from their daily routine (57%) and to “decompress alone” (55%).
Almost three quarters (73%) of parents in the Middle East with kids aged 9 or younger have confessed to sneaking in episodes of their favorite shows in between their parental responsibilities with 35% watching shows daily and a fifth of parents (20%) managing multiple sessions (2-3 times per day).
More surprisingly, perhaps, are the creative ways parents have resorted to unwind and fit in some well-deserved screen time. The number one method among Egyptian parents: “fibbing about an obligation” (31%). Shameless.
Other common methods parents use to create time to sneak in their favourite shows include:
- Pretending to get dressed or do their makeup / hair in the bathroom (25%)
- Sitting idly in the car (20%)
- Leaving the house to “run errands”(17%)
A shocking 17% of parents also admitted to staying longer in the bathroom “while doing their business” just to sneak in an episode.
While males in the region indexed higher with the majority of excuses, females were more likely to ‘pull a sickie’ (17% Vs 14%), telling their kids or significant other they were feeling sick to steal away some extra time with their favourite content.
The most popular shows available on Netflix and sneaked in by parents in Egypt include: 1. Love, 2. The Good Wife 3. Sherlock
The Crown
Top 10 most-sneaked shows by parents in Egypt:
| 1. Love |
| 2. The Good Wife |
| 3. Sherlock |
| 4. How I Met Your Mother |
| 5. The Office |
| 6. The Last Kingdom |
| 7. Homeland |
| 8. Once Upon a Time |
| 9. How To Get Away With Murder |
| 10. The Crown |
