W O M E N ,
N E X T
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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I NTRO DUCTI O N
Comprising roughly half the
global population, with rapidly
burgeoning consumer spending
power, women are becoming even
more dominant as a consumer
force. What’s next?
They’re also exhibiting unprecedented changes in
WOMEN, NEXT
Alongside all these opportunities, traditional
workplace for the first time; and where we see a
constructs and narratives are becoming less
rising group of female consumers in their fifties,
relevant. In other words, in this new era, women
sixties and seventies who live engaged, vibrant
will not be pigeonholed. They're embracing multi-
lives and refuse to be told aging is a negative.
faceted identities, careers, life paths and tastes.
They also won’t be patronized—in the new media
Across the board, on a global scale, new-wave
landscape, brands that don’t empower them
feminism is creating a spirit of celebration and
are quickly called out in the digital sphere, or
defiance—aspects of femininity such as body
discarded in favor of the rapidly scaling brands
image and female sexual pleasure, which have
that do.
previously remained on the fringes of discourse,
behaviors, attitudes, aspirations and desires, which
are rapidly being embraced in mainstream media.
means that traditional approaches to marketing,
And so to the future, where we see a new
design, language and even product must change if
generation of teenage generation Z women who
brands are to keep pace. Social media, the digital
are redefining traditional notions of gender and
sphere and wider access to education are driving a
sexuality, and are proud feminists; where we see
global sense of empowerment among women.
the “next billion” women who are entering the
It’s an exciting time to be a woman.
Lucie Greene
Worldwide Director,
The Innovation Group
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OV ERV I E W
OVERVIEW
Around the world, a new consumer group is poised
to dominate the economy of the future: women.
How can half the human race be considered “new”?
Simply put, brands and marketers have failed to adjust to
the unprecedented pace of change affecting nearly every
area of women’s lives, from education to work to the home.
Change is happening so quickly that strategies
designed to reach today’s women may feel dated by
the time they hit the market. A future-facing approach
is urgently needed.
“In my lifetime we’ve gone from a job market that basically confined women
to a handful of often poorly paid positions to a moment when women not
only make up roughly half the workforce but are leading in every sector, from
sports to space, from Hollywood to the Supreme Court,” wrote US president
Barack Obama in Glamour’s August 2016 issue. “Gone are the days when you
needed a husband to get a credit card. In fact, more women than ever, married
or single, are financially independent.”
School of Doodle. Founded by Molly Logan and Elise Van Middelem, USA
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OV ERV I E W
In the past decade alone, a quarter of a billion women entered the workforce,
according to the World Economic Forum. Today, women are more likely than
ever before to contribute to household income—in 40% of US households with
children, women are the sole breadwinners, says the Pew Research Center.
Across a range of categories, women are making the purchasing decisions
nearly two thirds of the time, according to a study from the Boston Consulting
Group (BCG). In several categories, that number is likely to be even higher. By
the year 2028, women will control close to 75% of all discretionary spending
worldwide and own a third of all businesses, according to BCG. Forget the
BRICs—women are, in short, the largest emerging market in the world.
Of course, inequalities persist. The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap
Report 2015 found that women’s average earnings only equal men’s average
earnings from 2006. Women make up the majority of skilled workers in just 68
countries, and the majority of leaders in four. But the changes have already
been staggering—and the impacts will only grow stronger as a billion women
from emerging economies join the workforce over the coming decade.
The next generation of women will be more educated than ever before. The
global ratio of male to female graduates is 93 men to 100 women, according
to a YaleGlobal report; in nearly all OECD countries, the majority of university
graduates are female. Women young and old are breaking with tradition and
shattering taboos: living longer and refusing to shrink quietly into old age,
choosing to delay having children, marrying older—or not marrying at all.
And from politics to STEM fields, women are shattering the glass ceiling,
helping each other to advance into leadership positions.
You Do You. A new web portal for agender fashion
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OV ERV I E W
WOMEN, NEXT
How can brands speak to these multifaceted, educated and empowered
consumers? It’s no longer sufficient to rely on old stereotypes and siloed
interests and media. “The idea that there’s just one woman to market to—the
‘busy working woman,’ the ‘busy working mother’—isn’t true any more,” says
Emilie McMeekan, cofounder of women’s media platform The Midult, which
aims to reach 35- to 50-year-old readers tired of being condescended to by
mainstream media and advertising.
Advertisers are waking up to a new reality: today’s educated, driven women
are increasingly critical consumers. With more information and choices
available than ever before, women no longer have to accept the products and
messaging that brands offer them, and this is equally true in both developed
and emerging markets.
In July 2016, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Keecoo launched the K1, a
pink cellphone aimed exclusively at women. The company’s descriptions of
its design made for “the small hands of women” and its selfie camera that
“automatically makes your skin look delicate and smooth” were blasted in the
tech press: “Mediocrity with a side of sexism,” wrote Engadget. “Move along.”
Women are deciding they need none of High Heel Brewing’s fruity-flavored,
pink-packaged Slingback beers for women. And women are wising up to the
“pink tax”—the extra pennies (or dollars) levied on products marketed as
“female friendly.” A December 2015 study by the New York City Department
of Consumer Affairs, for example, found that products marketed to girls and
women cost 7% more than similar goods marketed toward men. And let’s not
even get started on the “tampon tax”—the policy of many governments to
classify feminine hygiene items as luxuries and thus tax them at luxury rates.
The Midult
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OV ERV I E W
Representation matters, too. In the UK, Gap was slammed on social media
in August as an ad circulated that labeled a boy model as “The Little
Scholar” and a girl model as “The Social Butterfly.” “Absolutely incredible,”
tweeted member of parliament Chi Onwurah. “It’s 2016, we have a skills and
productivity crisis and @UKGap is perpetuating gender stereotypes.”
At the Cannes Lions 2016 international advertising festival, organizers seemed
aware of the challenges facing the industry, and were making an effort to
explore how an advertising world shaped by female-focused values might
look. The Glass Lion was awarded for the second time in 2016; this category
recognizes campaigns that address gender inequality or prejudice.
The stunning shortlist included depictions of women breaking taboos, like
Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai’s “Make Love Not Scars” video, featuring acid-attack
survivor Reshma Qureshi giving makeover advice to raise awareness about
such attacks in India.
Speaking in Cannes, Unilever’s chief marketing officer Keith Weed pledged
to change the way women are portrayed in advertisements. A recent study
conducted by Unilever of 1,000 ads from different countries revealed that
50% relied on female stereotypes, while only 2% portrayed women as
intelligent, 1% as funny and 3% as leaders.
“Our industry spends billions of dollars annually shaping perceptions, and we
have a responsibility to use this power in a positive manner,” says Sarah Wood,
cofounder and joint CEO of video ad tech company Unruly. “I think it’s horrible
Between Us by Y&R for Vodaphone. Istanbul
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OV ERV I E W
that just 1% of ads surveyed showed a woman being funny. Three percent
showed women being authoritative. How can we expect to have female role
models or more female leaders if only 3% of ads feature women in leadership
roles? Women are disproportionately represented in domestic roles. That is
super-powerful.”
The Glass Lion shortlist also included Vodafone’s “Between Us” campaign from
Y&R Istanbul, which features an app that allows women experiencing domestic
abuse to discreetly alert their friends. Lebanese NGO Kafa’s “Legally Bride”
campaign by Leo Burnett Worldwide drew attention to the 13% of Lebanese
girls married before age 18; the campaign was so resonant that it influenced a
United Nations campaign against child marriage. Both demonstrate the power
of grappling with the unique problems women face and finding an innovative
solution—an approach that will be welcomed for anyone trying to appeal to
women in the future.
The winner of the 2016 Glass Lion was Mindshare Mumbai’s “6 Pack Band,”
featuring India’s first transgender pop group. In addition to raising awareness of
India’s transgender population, the ad also points to a future for women where
traditional barriers, from gender and sexuality to age or ethnicity, are all in flux.
What does a future world designed for the next women look like? Women, Next
tackles that issue through a series of lenses. From work lives to sex lives, from
the latest apps to the route to the altar (or not), key decisions are being made
by women to ensure that tomorrow will look radically different from today. And
the changes have already begun.
Top: Lebanaese NGO Kafa’s “Legally Bride” campaign
Bottom: 6 Pack Band by Mindshare Mubai
WOMEN, NEXT
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WOMEN, NEXT
CONTENTS
This report explores the future of women across the following areas:
WOMEN & WORK
WOMEN, THE BODY & BEAUT Y
Women’s financial status is growing, as they increasingly lead businesses
Diversity and inclusivity have moved from the activist agenda to become base
and increase their spending power—a global phenomenon across advanced
expectations among mass-market consumers when it comes to branding
economies and emerging markets. Women’s views of work and domestic life
and advertising. We look at the future, more diverse market for beauty and
are changing in the wake of shifting social norms, the growing power of single
personal care products, including the untapped Muslim market, and also
women, rising rates of childlessness by choice, and other factors.
profile the growing integration between beauty and technology.
WOMEN & SEX
WOMEN & AGE
Female sexuality is no longer taboo, as artists and activists move the
Women are experiencing a longevity revolution, as they not only live longer
discussion around women and sex away from objectification and toward
but also refuse to “act their age” in ever-greater numbers. As the number of
women’s sexual fulfillment. Women are exploring new approaches to sexual
older female consumers balloons in the coming decades, brands need to be
pleasure, contraception, dating, and later-years intimacy.
prepared to reach this growing cohort. From Silicon Valley to solo travel, we
WOMEN & BELIEFS
Newly empowered women are seeking communal spaces that double as
zones of empowerment, and turning to modern mystics, urban sound baths
and spiritual life coaches for guidance. We profile the beauty, fashion and
personal care brands already getting wise to the shift.
look at examples of innovators catering to the evolving needs of the
50-plus set.
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WOMEN, NEXT
CONTENTS
FEMALE YOUTH
WOMEN & CONSUMER TECH
It is impossible to imagine the future of women without considering
What does the future of women’s tech look like? While some games and
generation Z. Today’s teenage girls live in a unique world of celebrity activism,
wearables are moving into advancing women’s safety, others are beginning to
high-school entrepreneurs and everyday models. But connecting with these
explore gender-neutral appeal. But the latest wave of women’s technology
digitally literate, globally connected and hyper-aware young women may
proves that smart, intentional products designed around women’s physical
prove to be marketers’ toughest challenge yet.
needs are still in high demand.
WOMEN & LIFEST YLE
THE NEXT BILLION
Today, women aren’t just in control of their working lives, they’re taking charge
While women are the next emerging consumer market, many of them are
of their downtime and reshaping the lifestyle industries according to their
still waiting in the wings. Across Asia, Latin America, Africa and more, one
needs. Female consumers are calling for changes and reshaping industries
billion women are projected to enter the workplace for the first time over
from media to travel. As in many other sectors, once-taboo activities are on
the coming decade. This massive shift will present one of the largest market
the table for women to enjoy candidly, creating new opportunities as quickly
opportunities that brands have seen in this century—if they’re prepared
as old ones disappear.
ahead of time to take up the challenge.
SAMPLE SECTION
W O M E N
A N D
S E X
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
SAMPLE SECTION:
THE FUTURE
OF WOMEN & SEX
In the words of preeminent feminist scholar Betty
Friedan, “No woman gets an orgasm from shining the
kitchen floor.” Which sparks the question: what does
she get an orgasm from?
In 2016, entrepreneurs, artists and activists are bent on settling the debate
once and for all. With the support of new research and technology, and the
focus on un-tabooing female sexuality, innovators are rallying to demystify
the female orgasm and unleash it from the shackles of patriarchy.
WOMEN, NEXT
Unsurprisingly, Hollywood’s romcomification of the female orgasm is much to
blame for the mystery and uncertainty surrounding female sexuality. While
the majority of on-screen sex is penetrative, studies show as few as 8% of
women orgasm from penetration alone, as Elisabeth Lloyd, author of The Case
of the Female Orgasm, points out. In the Cosmopolitan study, 67% of women
reported faking it—mostly unbeknownst to men; other estimates go as high
as 80%.
Today’s artists and activists are moving the topic of women’s sexual
fulfillment back to center stage where it belongs. As conversations about the
female orgasm move from science to the mainstream, new innovations are
helping women take control over their own sexual health and pleasure.
And women are overturning taboos and sparking a new interest in
everything from vibrators to condoms.
It is over half a century since Friedan’s best-selling manifesto The Feminine
As same-sex marriage has now been legalized in more than 20 countries,
Mystique was published in 1963, and progress towards finding the key to
women are redefining the conversation around sexual orientation as well.
female sexual pleasure has come to a standstill. Adult romance novelist
A 2016 report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Kirstie Collins Brote describes the female orgasm as “that elusive, reclusive
(CDC), drawing on data from 2011-13, found that 5.5% of women aged 18 to
Loch Ness of the labia.” Research reveals not just a gender pay gap but also a
44 identified as bisexual, compared to 3.5% of women for the same survey
pandemic of orgasm inequality; a 2015 Cosmopolitan survey found that, while
published in 2011, drawing on data from 2006-2008. Over 17% of women
57% of women have orgasms most or every time they have sex, this figure
reported having had a same-sex sexual encounter, compared to 12% in the
rises to 95% for their partners.
previous report.
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
NYC Porn Film Festival, June 2016. Photography by Leah Schrager
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
WOMEN, NEXT
MAKE LOVE,
NOT PORN
Ad executive turned sex-tech founder and feminist Cindy
Gallop is all too familiar with the struggle to normalize
real-world representations of sex.
With her social media sex startup MakeLoveNotPorn (MLNP), Gallop wants to
is topped by “a closed loop of white guys talking to white guys about other
white guys,” as the always-blunt Gallop puts it. “We need to change the ratio in
everything, including the orgasm ratio. A principle of MLNP is orgasm equality:
one for one, every time. That has as big a role to play in female empowerment
and equality as everything else.”
redirect the lens from porn as the default method of sex education to steamy
#RealWorldSex, aka real sex featuring real people in everyday life. MLNP aims
to debunk the silly and often dangerous myth that conventional pornography,
which features paid actors engaging in scripted and sometimes violent
behaviors, reflects how sex plays out in the real world.
“The world makes it so difficult for people to innovate and disrupt social and
business narratives around sex that many people have tried and simply given
up,” Gallop says. “The reason I don’t give up is simple: if I don’t do this, who
will? I am the only person I know of actively speaking out about the need to
acknowledge and leverage sex in the marketing and advertising world, and
actively doing something about it.”
The concept that sex is a peripheral bonus activity with no direct bearing on
gender dynamics and daily interactions couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, orgasm inequality is a microcosm of a world in which every industry
Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn
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CLITERACY
In 2012, conceptual artist Sophia Wallace made headlines
for her Cliteracy project. The exhibition featured a giant
gold clitoris and graphic wallpapers plastered with
phrases such as “The world isn’t flat and women don’t
orgasm from their vaginas.”
The exhibition was described as an advertising campaign for the clitoris; if
that doesn’t sound necessary, think again. According to a 2015 project from
Wallace and the Huffington Post, the clitoris was systematically erased from
anatomical diagrams for decades and was only acknowledged again in 1998.
In 2016, Wallace returned with Over and Over and Over, a solo show at New
York City’s Catinca Tabacaru Gallery exploring representation, “repetition, a
gesture of necessity,” and the power of the small. “Like the clitoris, the neon
works are small yet powerful,” Wallace wrote in a press statement. “Until the
subject exists in representation, it must be repeated in form and speech,
again and again, until it is naturalized.”
Sophia Wallace, Over and Over and Over
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
This time around, Wallace fabricated illuminated scrawls that proclaimed
“illest clitoris” and walls daubed with the word “clit.” “The clitoris, which is the
sexual organ of cis women and trans men, is not eroticized,” Wallace said in
a May interview with Broadly. “Breasts, buttocks, and entering a vagina are
all eroticized, but this ignores the organ with 8,000 nerves in the glans alone
and more internally.” Wallace compares this absurd omission of the clitoris to
attempting to accurately quantify male sexuality without mentioning
the penis.
While the playing field remains far from level, Wallace has observed some
progress since she first launched “Cliteracy” in 2012. “I think more women of
all ages, and particularly young women, are beginning to increase their sense
of sexual entitlement,” she explains. “My project has offered women core
truths about their bodies with language that is bold and powerful, unlike most
language we have for female genitals in any context. Human dignity. This is
one of the reasons that, though it is a conceptual art project, it has been
resonated at such scale.”
Sophia Wallace, Over and Over and Over
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FROM SEX SELLS TO
SEX ED SELLS
After years of invisibility and erasure, the clitoris has
become the cornerstone of the zeitgeist shift from “sex
sells” to “sex education sells.” Women (and an increasing
number of men) don’t want to be fed superficial,
oversimplified explanations of female sexuality. Tired of
fumbling for answers in the dark, they are demanding
knowledge and control.
Enter OMGYes, a revolutionary website that provides paid subscribers with
hands-on instructional content to give and receive better orgasms. Recently
endorsed by noted feminist actor Emma Watson, OMGYes features vivid,
touchable tutorials that display real and responsive vulvas. Users can practice
proven pleasure-enhancing techniques such as “edging,” “staging” and
“withholding” while receiving real-time digital feedback on their performance.
The technology is based on thousands of composite images of a woman’s
vulva, as well as extensive research and testimony from more than 2,000
women aged 18 to 95. It’s the first comprehensive exploration into what really
gets women off, as told (and demonstrated) by those who know best.
“Women’s sexual pleasure for the sake of pleasure has been ignored by
science,” says OMGYes cofounder Rob Perkins. “The different specific ways
OMGYes participants
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
of touching that are pleasurable are still seen as ‘too sexy’ to get scientific
funding. When it comes to women’s pleasure, even experts and scientists still
say, ‘Everyone’s different!’ as though that’s an end to the conversation. But
since when has variability stopped scientific curiosity?”
Undeterred by stigma and other barriers, OMGYes conducted its own
research in partnership with Indiana University and the Kinsey Institute. The
2015 OMGYes Study of Women’s Sexual Pleasure revealed that the benefits
of education about female pleasure have many real-world implications
far beyond just better sex. “Couples who constantly explore new ways
to increase pleasure are five times more likely to be happier in their
relationships,” explains Perkins. “We really want this kind of exploration to be
normalized as healthy curiosity and not cast as ‘for women with problems’
or ‘for men who are bad in bed’—just as buying a travel magazine isn’t ‘for
people with travel problems’ or ‘for bad travelers.’”
While OMGYes is employing technology to show what a real orgasm feels like,
Spanish advertising agency Proximity Madrid has partnered with erotic toy
purveyor Bijoux Indiscrets to show what a real orgasm sounds like. According
to the agency’s own material, 66% of Spaniards have a “fictional” view of
intercourse and find it difficult to distinguish between the sound of a real and
fake orgasm. To combat the distorting effects of porn, the Orgasm Library of
Sounds calls upon women to anonymously upload audio of their non-fictional
orgasms. The first 100 orgasms were listened to more than 110,000 times in
the first week and shared on social media with the hashtag #OrgasmosReales.
Marketers are tapping into the desire to show the truth about women’s desire.
Top: OMGYes app
Bottom: Lioness Vibrator. Photography by Adriel Olmos from Foundry@CITRIS
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
On crowdfunding site Indiegogo, the Lioness vibrator reached 100% of its
fundraising goal in just four days. The vibrator’s sensors record vaginal
contractions, temperature and positioning, to help users understand, for
example, optimal foreplay time and the connection between sex drive and
menstrual cycle.
“The positive reception is a testament to the need for a product like ours that
can enhance our understanding of our own sexuality,” says founder Liz Klinger.
“We’ve gotten many emails from women of all ages all over the world who tell
us their stories, what they want to use Lioness for, and why they’re excited
about learning more about their own sexuality … The need for understanding
and exploring our bodies spans across all phases of life and has been
largely neglected, which I think adds to why so many people are excited
about Lioness.”
According to Klinger, the benefits of possessing objective knowledge about
female sexuality extend far beyond the bedroom. Beyond promoting healthier
sex lives for individuals and their partners, Lioness fosters “curiosity, comfort
and confidence” in its users. “Even those who start out describing themselves
as ‘very open’ suddenly find that they have an avenue to talk with partners
with objective data that takes away the performance anxiety or ego that
so often dominates those conversations,” Klinger says. “Now they have a
vocabulary and something tangible to describe, rather than vague feelings
that we’ve heard described as ‘trying to describe what color looks like to each
other without using color.’”
Orgasm Sound Library
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
Bijoux Indiscrets founded by Elsa Viegas and Marta Aguiar, Barcelona. “We are a company designing
beautiful but affordable erotic products that we hope also inspire women all over the world to live
their pleasure to the utmost,” says Viegas.
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SA M PLE S ECTI O N: WO M EN A N D SE X
BACK
IN THE SADDLE
While millennials are figuring out how to play it safe,
women in the over-50 age bracket are navigating the
rapidly changing, increasingly digital dating game.
Shifting attitudes about sex, social networking and a
plethora of new apps are coaxing a growing number of
older women onto online dating sites.
Dating app Stitch is one such app hoping to capitalize on the fact that around
three in 10 baby boomers are single and the upswing in this demographic using
dating sites: according to the Pew Research Center, the share of 55- to 64-yearolds signing up for dating sites has doubled from 6% in 2013 to 12% in 2015.
Stitch helps over-50s find romantic and platonic relationships, and has gathered
momentum since its launch in 2014, growing to over 25,000 members in 2015.
This cohort is not just after companionship. According to a 2015 survey
of more than 33,000 adults in the United States, published in the Archives
of Sexual Behavior, baby boomers had the most sexual partners of all
generations studied, at 11, versus 10 for generation X and eight for millennials.
The report suggested the fall in average number of partners could be related
to a growing awareness of HIV and other STDs, with millennials more safety
conscious than their predecessors.
Stitch. Founded by Andrew Dowling. Australia
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WOMEN, NEXT
“Older people have seen unbelievable change in technology and gender norms
The topsy-turvy ride of online dating among older women is a storyline
in their lifetime, and—having already got used to the phone, radio, TV, cars,
tackled head on by Netflix’s Grace and Frankie hit series, which follows the
transatlantic jets, computers—the internet, and therefore internet dating,
ups and downs of two women in their 70s and the challenges that come with
is simply the latest in a long line of new technologies they have embraced in
being newly single. “There are more older women in the world. It’s the fastest
order to live better,” says Zoe Strimpel, a researcher in modern British history
growing demographic in the globe, and so it’s good to tell a more realistic and
at Sussex University who is writing a PhD thesis on the pre-internet history of
upbeat story about older women,” said Jane Fonda, who plays Grace, in the
dating in Britain.
Hollywood Reporter.
“One of the biggest things you have to recognize is that intimacy can become
Executive producer Marcy Ross told the publication that she hoped the
different over 50,” says expert over-50s dating coach and best-selling author
series was the beginning of more shows aimed at this growing, underserved
Lisa Copeland. “You’re not procreating. You’re not having babies. You need to
demographic. “There’s a lot of people out there with nothing to watch,” she
get more creative.” Copeland says she thinks the media and consumer culture
notes, adding that any characters that look like them are the butt of the joke.
“totally miss the boat on this demographic. They don’t recognize that we are
Grace and Frankie, she says, will not be the butt of the joke: “They will be
totally sensual people who still want that physical and emotional connection.”
creating the joke onto someone else.”
Grace and Frankie. Image courtesy of Netflix
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SA M PLE DATA: WO M EN A N D SE X
SAMPLE SONAR™ DATA:
WOMEN & SEX
In July 2016, we conducted a survey of US female
consumers, age 12+, using SONAR™, J. Walter
Thompson’s proprietary research unit, examining
women’s attitudes and behaviors across several
categories. The survey is representative of the general
population of women in the United States, with a
sample size of 1,313 US consumers.
Younger generations were much more comfortable discussing “taboo”
topics such as sex and menstruation with a range of people in their lives.
Women are generally comfortable having discussions about orgasm with
their partners, although this is slightly less true of boomers.
Most women say they have watched adult-themed content or
pornography at some point. Those who watch it at least occasionally
say they can find content that interests them and reflects their sexual
preferences, but they express concern over how women are depicted in
pornography, and a desire for more female-friendly content.
Note: These questions were only asked to women age 18+. Other
sections of the report also include a gen Z (12-19) sample.
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SA M PLE DATA: WO M EN A N D SE X
WOMEN, NEXT
Among all women…
“I am comfortable discussing sex and m
Un-tabooing
womanhood…
Among
all women…
“I am comfortable discussing sex and menstruation with…”
Menstruation
Sex
Among all women…
Total
Menstruation
“I am comfortable discussing menstruation/sex with…”
Sex
Total
Healthcare
practitioners
55%
Millennials (20-34)
35%
64%
Healthcare
Boomers (50+)
practitioners
Gen X (35-49)
41%
55%
37%
48%
55%
31%
My partner
My partner
43%
61%
61%
76%
48%
64%
29%
43%
52%
Family
Family
43%
19%
57%
20%
45%
19%
32%
43%
19%
Friends
Friends
47%
41%
63%
57%
50%
47%
32%
47%
26%
Co-workers
Co-workers
9%
7%
12%
10%
10%
6%
7%
9%
5%
Nobody
Nobody
17%
17%
5%
8%
16%
15%
26%
17%
24%
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SA M PLE DATA: WO M EN A N D SE X
WOMEN, NEXT
Orgasm
Millennials (20-34)
“I agree that…”
I am knowledgeable about
how to bring myself to orgasm
I amknowledgeable
knowledgeable about
about how
I am
how to bring myself to orgasm
to bring myself to orgasm
Millennials (20-34)
Millennials (20-34)
Total
Boomers (50+)
Total
Boomers (50+)
76%
80%
81%
76%
80%
81%
72%
87%
89%
Gen X (35-49)
72%
87%
89%
88%
Gen X (35-49)
Total
Boomers (50+)
88%
85%
Total
Boomers (50+)
Gen X (35-49)
85%
Millennials (20-34)
I feel comfortable describing
to a partner how to bring me to orgasm
I feel comfortable describing
I feel
describing
toorgasm
a
to a comfortable
partner how to
bring me to
partner how to bring me to orgasm
Gen X (35-49)
“Have you ever faked an orgasm with a partner?”
“Have you ever faked an orgasm with a partner?”
0%
25%
50%
Among all women…
Yes, at some point, (total)
“Have you ever faked
Yes, maybe a few times in the past but I don’t currently
26%
Yes, at some point, (total)
13%
Yes, but rarely ever
Yes, maybe a few times in the past but I don’t currently
26%
21%
Yes, sometimes/occasionally
13%
Yes, but rarely ever
5%
Yes, I do frequently
21%
Yes, sometimes/occasionally
35%
No, never
5%
Yes, I do frequently
an orgasm with a partner?”
No, never
0%
25%
50%
35%
75%
65%
65%
75%
100%
100%
25
SA M PLE DATA: WO M EN A N D SE X
WOMEN, NEXT
Pornography
Among all women…
“When it comes to adultthemed content/pornography…”
I have
watched
I've watched it at
itsome
at some
point point
72%
I have
never
I've never
watched
watched itit
28%
Among
Among
all women…
all women…
“When“When
it comes
it comes
to adult
to adult
themed
themed
content/pornography…”
content/pornography…”
I haveI watched
have watched
it at some
it at some
point point
I haveI never
have never
watched
watched
it
it
72% 72%
28% 28%
Among women who watch pornography at least occasionally…
“Have“Have
you ever
you faked
ever faked
an orgasm
an orgasm
with awith
partner?”
a partner?”
ner?”
“I agree that…”
0%
I am able
I amto
able
findtoadult
find adult
themed
themed
content/pornography
content/pornography
that interests
that interests
me me0%
0%
25%
25%
25%
50%
50%
75%
50%
87% 87%
52% 52%
rnography featuring women who look like me
53%
I would
I would
watchwatch
more more
adult adult
themed
themed
content/pornography
content/pornography
if it was
if itmore
was more
female-friendly
female-friendly
/pornography if it was more female-friendly
88%
53% 53%
I worry
I worry
aboutabout
how women
how women
are depicted
are depicted
in theinadult
the adult
themed
themed
content/pornography
content/pornography
I watch
I watch
rnography
that
reflects
my
sexual
preferences
the adult themed content/pornography I watch
100% 100%
88%75%
88%
I am able
I amto
able
findtoadult
find adult
themed
themed
content/pornography
content/pornography
that reflects
that reflects
my sexual
my sexual
preferences
preferences
rnography
that
interests
me
I am able
I am
to
able
find
toadult
find adult
themed
themed
content/pornography
content/pornography
featuring
featuring
women
women
who look
wholike
lookme
like me
75%
63% 63%
52%
63%
87%
26
SA M PLE TA K E AWAYS
WOMEN, NEXT
WOMEN & SEX:
SAMPLE TAKEAWAYS
Sexual fulfillment is center stage
Don’t tiptoe around feminine care
Women are speaking out about inequality in the bedroom in frank
Brands that directly address health issues related to pregnancy,
terms. Help women take control of their sexual health and pleasure.
menstruation, urinary problems and other issues previously referred
to only discreetly, if at all, are winning big with consumers who want
Speak to women directly
brands to get to the point.
Women appreciate when brands avoid euphemisms, and instead
use bold and powerful language that speaks to core truths about
their bodies.
Sex education sells
Women don’t want to be fed superficial or oversimplified representations
of female sexuality. Emphasize knowledge and control over titillation
and innuendo.
Take a holistic view of sex
Sustainable, fair-trade, vegan, natural—terms that we’re used to hearing
in relation to food—are also becoming aspirational when it comes to sex
and related products.
Sex doesn’t stop at 50 … or 70
As the number of older singles grows, older women are dating online
and forming new emotional and physical connections. Speak to this
underserved demographic.
27
WOMEN, NEXT
THE FULL, 200-PAGE VERSION OF
WOMEN, NEXT INCLUDES…
09
WOMEN
IN
CONSUMER TECH
TEN SECTIONS: Covering the future of women and work, sex, beliefs, the body and beauty, age, lifestyle, and consumer tech, as well as female youth and the next billion female consumers.
CONSUMER DATA: 28 pages of infographics presenting original SONAR™ insights across all areas of women's lives.
SECTOR EXAMPLES: Examples in each section related to multiple sectors such as retail, advertising, media, consumer goods, beauty, experiences and more.
TAKEAWAYS:
Succinct takeaways in each section­—your cheat sheet for the future of marketing to women.
Download the full version at jwtintelligence.com
About the Innovation Group
Contact:
The Innovation Group is J. Walter Thompson’s futurism, research and
Lucie Greene
innovation unit. It charts emerging and future global trends, consumer change,
Worldwide Director of the Innovation Group
and innovation patterns—translating these into insight for brands. It offers
J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
a suite of consultancy services, including bespoke research, presentations,
[email protected]
co-branded reports and workshops. It is also active in innovation, partnering
with brands to activate future trends within their framework and execute new
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products and concepts. It is led by Lucie Greene, Worldwide Director of the
Shepherd Laughlin, the Innovation Group
Innovation Group.
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About J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
Emma Chiu, the Innovation Group
The Innovation Group is part of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, a platform
for global research, innovation and data analytics at J. Walter Thompson
Writers
Company, housing three key in-house practices: SONAR™, Analytics and
Mary Cass, the Innovation Group
the Innovation Group. SONAR™ is J. Walter Thompson’s research unit that
Jane Helpern
develops and exploits new quantitative and qualitative research techniques to
understand cultures, brands and consumer motivation around the world. It is
Picture assistant
led by Mark Truss, Worldwide Director of Brand Intelligence. Analytics focuses
Jaime Eisenbraun, the Innovation Group
on the innovative application of data and technology to inform and inspire new
marketing solutions. It offers a suite of bespoke analytics tools and is led by
Amy Avery, Head of Analytics, North America.