MEDIA RELEASE
Distribution 03 March 2010
FULL RELEASE
Australian women: pragmatic, real and reminiscent of the 1960s
Latest research released today from SheSpot, a leading marketing and media portfolio reaching over 1.8million Australian women (owned by Australia’s leading parenting site Kidspot) fully exposes the Australian woman of today. Based on extensive, national research with over 2K women conducted late last year, it is clear that satisfied is the new empowered. She has come full circle – family is at the centre of her universe and career is well down her list of priorities.
The report found that today’s woman:
- Values family above everything else – it is the single most important thing to 74% of all women
- Believes career should fit in with her personal and family needs – not the other way around, more women ranked friends, fitness, education, philanthropy and community ahead of career in terms of importance
- Is pragmatic and real about the trade-offs required to be true to her values– she’s no longer striving for perfection and no longer believes that “having it all” requires “doing it all”. The areas causing her the least stress today are “trying to succeed in a man’s world” and the “inability to progress her career due to commitments at home”. These age old struggles do not even resonate with the majority of women today.
- Feels loved, appreciated and optimistic about the future – 93% of women feel loved, 83% feel appreciated and 66% are optimistic about the future (only 4% are pessimistic). This stands in stark contrast to women globally, in the US in particular.
- Her greatest struggles are body weight, time and money – despite her new pragmatism, 50% of women surveyed said concern about their weight causes them “significant” stress, while 71% admit to feeling overwhelmed and 84% are stressed to some degree.
- Has a complicated relationship with money – money is #1 on the list of things that make women extremely unhappy and is a cause of stress for 62% of the women surveyed
HER EVOLUTION:
While previous generations of women fought to create stronger opportunities for themselves, today’s woman instead faces the challenge of maximizing those opportunities without compromising her ambitions for her home and family. Despite her achievements and hard won position in the workforce…in 2010,
- she is becoming more realistic about what can be done outside the home
- in most cases, something has to be sacrificed and women are now crystal clear that it won’t be family
The Australian woman today is a marvel of multi-tasking; making enormous headway in her employment and education but not yielding her investment in family, friends and self. She continues to be the primary caregiver and head of her household, adding a career and breadwinning role as well as newfound personal freedom. With more skills and opportunities she is busier now than ever and is beginning to understand how to divide and prioritise her life according to her values. Finding balance and optimisation among everything she wants to (and can) accomplish is the challenge of her day-to-day existence.
COMING FULL CIRCLE:
As much as things have changed, a considerable portion of a woman’s life remains the same. Her friendships, partner, children and role as wife and mother are her greatest sources of happiness. Today’s woman wants to establish a family life, make a home, raise children and connect with her partner – sound familiar? Katie May, CEO of Kidspot explains that “women today feel just as strongly about family as previous generations MINUS the struggle for equality and opportunity in the workforce. Her career is no longer frowned upon or forbidden but in many cases encouraged and so making trade-offs is much easier. She is fully empowered to make choices with plenty of opportunity afforded her – which has allowed her family values to resurface in a measurable way.”
Working more but for what?
BACKGROUND: Women today are more educated, more employable and more employed:
- More women than men hold university degrees (28% of Gen X and Y women hold bachelor’s degrees v. only 21% of men)
- The number of women in work/looking for work increased between 1986 and 2006 from 48% to 55%.[i]
- For couple families with children under the age of 15, the participant rate is even higher: 63% [ii].
Surprisingly, the survey found that women today, despite their impressive investment in education and higher participation rates in the workforce, are not necessarily prioritizing their careers. Many are not working for professional or even personal fulfillment – but instead as a means to an end. Though financial security ranks #2 for today's woman, her own career ranks #10.
As women age, the importance they place on their career shifts:
- Younger women are more apt to put more value on their status and title, but, over time, a greater proportion of women become less invested.
- By their 40s, a full quarter rate career as “unimportant”. The trend coincides with women having children. As their biological clock kicks in, priorities change.
- However, even for women in the 18-24 year old age bracket, a full 40% consider their career unimportant or are indifferent to it, revealing a shift in the importance placed on career regardless of family situation.
The majority are realistic about balancing their career with everything else they hold important.
- 60% of women believe their careers have met (47%) or exceeded (13%) their expectations.
- Though this leaves 40% with careers that are below expectations, today’s woman takes a pragmatic approach, so her disappointment does not translate to stress.
She has accepted the trade-offs involved in juggling family and career. She is unlikely to complain about glass ceilings and the difficulty of trying to succeed in a man’s world. For, while previous generations of women fought to create stronger opportunities for themselves, today’s woman instead faces the challenge of maximising those opportunities without compromising her ambitions for her family and home.
A sea change is taking place, and with it will come a greater level of comfort and peace for many women. The younger generation is leading the charge. Women are far more realistic and less likely to aspire for perfection today – and, as a result, now they can actually achieve satisfaction.
Family is the centre of her universe
Despite all the changes in opportunities, self-conception, and lifestyle, today’s woman still says that her family is the single most important thing in her life. It comes first; it brings her happiness, overshadows her other goals and is a key driver in the satisfaction she feels. She is drawing more and more on family for her own sense of achievement, and, as a result, the emphasis she puts on career has dwindled.
Many see family as their identity; for some it’s how they define themselves. Like women of the past, her role as a wife and mother and her relationships – with her children, partner, and friends – are her greatest source of happiness.
Not only does her family life live up to her expectations, it exceeds them:
On the negative side, the study found that today’s women are stressed and even overwhelmed. She frets constantly about the challenges of time and money. Although she acknowledges that her career takes a back seat to family, the majority of women work at least part time. This means she has less time to do everything else on her list. Once family life begins, she is busy juggling children, partner, home, household, friends and family.
In summing up the report’s findings, Katie May, CEO of Kidspot said:
“Australian women are amongst the happiest, most optimistic group around the globe. She has made peace with the fact she can’t have everything at work and at home. Today’s woman is grounded and realistic and doesn’t strive for perfection. She approaches life with a new pragmatism that probably wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of previous generations. Women today are far more empowered to choose their path – and her path is clear with family at the heart of it.”
ENDS
For further information and charts, a full copy of the report or to arrange an interview with Katie May, Kidspot CEO please contact:
Natalie Mactier
Kidspot.com.au Pty Ltd
T. 1300 724 575
D. +61 3 9697 0855
F. +61 3 8640 0647
nmactier@kidspot.com.au
About the Survey:
The Shespot research was conducted to explore the woman of Australia today - her growth, her advancement, her values, her happiness, her expectations and her relationship with money and spending. The survey is based on a quantitative study of 2,258 Australian women conducted between October 7, 2009 and November 3, 2009 using online survey software across four SheSpot websites:
The online study was augmented with a series of moderated focus groups and interviews which took place the week of December 14, 2009. It is also the cumulative work of expert interviews and desk research compiled by SheSpot during 2009 and early 2010 to supplement and corroborate the findings.
Respondent profile:
AGE
•
18-24 (9%)
18-24 (9%)•25-39 (48%)
25-39 (48%)•40-54 (27%)
40-54 (27%)•55-65 (11%)
55-65 (11%)•65+ (3%)
65+ (3%)MARITAL STATUS
•Single, never married (5%)
Single, never married (5%)•Living with partner (23%)
Living with partner (23%) •Married (61%
Married (61%•Divorced (4%)
Divorced (4%)NUMBER OF CHILDREN (under the age of 18 living at home)
•1 child (14.9%)
1 child (14.9%)•2 children (24.1%)
2 children (24.1%)•3 children (21.5%)
3 children (21.5%)•4 children (8.2%)
4 children (8.2%)•5 or more children (2.7%)
5 or more children (2.7%)AGES OF CHILDREN
•< 12mths (14.9%)
< 12mths (14.9%)•12-23mths (9.8%)
12-23mths (9.8%)•2-4 years (21.6%)
2-4 years (21.6%)•5-12 years (23.3%)
5-12 years (23.3%)•12-18 years (10.6%)
12-18 years (10.6%)•18 years+ (18.8%)
18 years+ (18.8%)EMPLOYMENT STATUS
•66% employed
66% employed•34% not working
34% not workingGEOGRAPHICAL DISTIBUTION
•53% in a capital city
53% in a capital city•23% in a regional city with >20K but <100K people
23% in a regional city with >20K but <100K people•13% in a large city (>100K)
13% in a large city (>100K)•12% in a city with less than 20K
12% in a city with less than 20KAbout SheSpot
SheSpot is 100% owned by Kidspot, the #1 website for parents in Australia and New Zealand. SheSpot offers a straightforward way to reach 1.8M Australian women across 7 premium online properties including www.kidspot.com.au, www.birth.com.au, www.bestrecipes.com.au, www.mamamia.com.au and www.easyweddings.com.au.
For more information visit www.shespot.com.au
Kidspot is the leading parenting website in Australia and New Zealand. Around 750,000 Australian mums rely on the comprehensive directory, parenting information & advice, family friendly recipes and kid’s activities each month.
About Birth.com.au
Birth is the most reliable source of Australian “expert” information on conception, pregnancy & birth. A 10 year labour of love by the authors of Birth the book of the same name, the site attracts almost 200,000 unique browsers per month. Birth’s engaged users are active in the Birthtalk forums and established pregnancy community.
About Bestrecipes.com.au
Best Recipes is a comprehensive food and cooking site that reaches a large and loyal food appreciating audience of over 600,000 each month. In addition to a vast collection of shared recipes, visitors can share their own favourites, take advantage of shopping list tools, create their own cookbook with saved recipes and organise menus.
About Easyweddings.com.au
Easy Weddings is the leading wedding website in Australia with over 100,000 visitors per month, 30,000 brides planning current weddings and 2000 wedding suppliers from across the country. With its interactive wedding tools, information and community, Easy Weddings is the place to be for those involved in planning a wedding in Australia.
