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Is This What they Burned Their Bras For?
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I have no doubt that 2010 will be the year of the American Woman.
She will take on more government roles, increase how much she earns and continue to lead in
education -- being the majority sex earning bachelor's and master's degrees.
It seems we've come a long way from the days of Donna Reed and June Cleaver. But what's the flip
side of the coin?
FINANCIAL
Due to the "Great Recession," women now make up more than half of the work force, up from 38
percent in 1970. Nearly one-third of working women nationwide now out-earn their husbands and men
are the majority of the unemployed. According to a survey by GfK Roper for NBC Universal, today there
is a whole new meaning to the power of the purse: 65 percent of women reported being their family's
chief financial planner and 71 percent called themselves the family accountant. Together, women control
more wealth than ever in history.
However, according to a recent article in The Washington Post, "The American workplace is transforming,
but women's lives aren't necessarily improving." Women still earn 77 cents on the dollar compared
to men and saw their earnings fall twice as much as men's in 2008 -- and the trend continues. Additionally,
research shows that although men with working wives are taking on more housework than before,
they still do up to five hours less housework than the women. In couples with kids, that increases to 17
hours when combined with childcare.
POLITICAL
From a political standpoint, for better or for worse, this is the first time in our history that women are
leading the headlines. Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton get more ink than their male
counterparts, and yet they can't seem to take the top jobs. Hillary couldn't seal the deal and take the top
seat, Sarah Palin became a joke within her own party and Michelle is making more headlines on her
wardrobe choices than on her impact on the healthcare debate. We even have celeb radio personalities
like Rush Limbaugh asking listeners during the '08 election if America really wants to watch a woman
grow old.
BEAUTY
And, of course, from an aesthetic perspective, we are working hard on changing the perception that all
women must fit into the stereotypical perception of "beautiful." From the Dove campaign and the
National Organization for Women's "Love Your Body Day," to the success of shows like "Ugly Betty," we
have made great strides in the past decade. At the same time, a Ralph Lauren model was recently fired
for being too fat (she's 5-foot-10 and 120 lbs!) and the lovely Kelly Clarkson had her image photo
shopped for her Self magazine cover.
IS THIS WHAT THEY BURNED THEIR BRAS FOR?
So what does this all mean to us as we look into marketing in 2010?
Perhaps modern day feminists will rejoice in the progress that has been made since those "Betty Draper" days -- a time where women were rarely seen in universities and could aspire only to jobs as secretaries and teachers. However, I think that Gloria Steinem would say, "We still have our work cut out for us."
- We've got to reach her through a multitude of channels -- she has more on her plate and on her mind than ever before, and her attention span is growing shorter
- Women are struggling with balance, but in a different way than before -- brands have the opportunity to support her and believe in her
- Don't take anything for granted -- we must continue to re-evaluate and further research our target audience -- looking at "action-graphics" that might span gender, taking audience segmentation a step deeper and more focused
