TALKING TO WOMEN

BY GILLEM LAWSON AND SUNANDA BRAHMA

Wwith women across Asia becoming more independent,one question that arises is whether advertising is keeping up with changing attitudes in the region.

Women across Asia are in transition, both in terms of their position in society and in the way that they see themselves. In a general sense, women are feeling smarter, are more discerning, and have different expectations from previous generations. They are more confident about their femininity and are looking for ways to be independent while existing in a male-dominated, often traditional world. This is most pronounced for women under 35 (married or unmarried) with an above-average education. Within this group, some women are more at the leading edge of change than others. However, it is very clear that the ideas are making an impact across different social strata and age groups.

Against this backdrop, Research International carried out a study, "Communicating with modern urban women in Asia" to gain a better understanding of how women in Asia see themselves now and to see if marketing communications had changed accordingly. The aim
was to determine what worked or didn't work when communicating with women in order to help marketers find fresh perspectives when engaging with this important consumer group.

more to life than marriage—
looking for greater independence

Research International met with 80 female consumers in Bangkok, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Singapore in addition to 15 highly-educated women in a range of professional fields, described as experts. Of the markets included in the study, Singapore is traditional and hierarchical and is a place where women believe they have been very successful.

In both Thailand and India, women tend to have very similar views, expressing a very strong desire for greater independence and individual expression.

Women are looking for more than marriage. A respondent in Thailand
captures this feeling: "If (she's) happy with a good career and with good friends, there's no need to get married just because society says she should," a feeling echoed by a another consumer in India who says, "A woman can be confident on her own today; now you see young women asking themselves: 'What is it that I can do beyond being married.' "

The study shows that the notions of family and social responsibility still dominate in China and a desire for independence is less than in other Asian countries. However, this is changing. A Chinese expert taking part in the survey says, ÒW omen aged 20-25 are the first only-child generation.
They are thinking very differently. They'll be more self-dependent and will (value more) self improvement."

Many women, both the experts and consumers, across all markets spoke in varying degrees about the importance of financial independence from men. In Singapore, women are already relatively financially independent and are freer to consume as they please. Young working women in Thailand talk about the "third wallet" in a relationship that covers familial expenses, the other two being entirely private. Women in Thailand and India say that they hide money away for a rainy day. This is a symptom of women now seeing spending as not always being about the family, but it is also symbolic of their need for independence and also greater security. Many respondents speak about how things may not be forever and about an inherent risk in relying entirely on a (male) partner's income. There is less evidence of this behavior in China, where the power of family and social responsibility still dominates, but the desire is clearly expressed.

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