The new American Matriarchy: Women more alike at all ages

Earlier this year, the global PR firm Fleishman-Hillard, together with its research partner the Harrison Group, completed a study on women’s role in the economy. Some of our friends at Fleishman recently walked me through the resulting report (“Women, Power & Money: The Shift to the Female-Driven Economy”) and what its results mean for marketers.

Adult women consumers = all adult women consumers (almost)

Too many research reports on women consumers seem to assume women stop consuming at 49 or 54. Fleishman did not make this mistake, and interviewed women in the unusually broad age range of 21-70. This may be the first major study that genuinely recognizes the importance of women consumers at all ages.

Women remain positive even in a recession

Fleishman interviewed over 1600 women with household income above $25,000, and 89% of them defined themselves as “successful.” These women also remain optimistic about the future because they perceive themselves in control of their circumstances; they are smart enough to figure out how to manage even in tough times. In such times, they value lasting strengths and values (character, intelligence, and generosity) over those that come and go (sexiness, sophistication, and celebrity).

All Women are learning the strengths of Vibrant Women

I have written about VibrantNation.com research that recognized the changes women identify in their own purchase decisions around the time they turn 50. And my colleague Carol Orsborn has described how this may represent a new stage in personal growth among women over 50. The Fleishman study, interestingly, suggests that a either the recession or general cultural trends may be accelerating the rate at which women of all ages internalize these lessons. The top words that a woman in the Fleishman study said people who knew her would use to describe her were: intelligent, kind, thoughtful, independent and generous. This suggests a dramatic shift in the self-image of American women, and one that marketers are barely starting to recognize.

Marketers to women are clueless and out of date

Interestingly, Fleishman also asked a group of senior marketing executives about how they expected women to answer the survey’s questions. This influential group not only got it wrong; they got it way wrong, and I hope they are paying attention to these embarrassing gaps.

Of these marketers, only 19% defined her as “happy” while 61% of women themselves defined themselves this way. And in the middle of a recession, 73% of marketers defined the American woman as “stressed.” Only 19% of women themselves described themselves this way. Marketers assume (perhaps paternalistically) that women’s self-confidence and self-image decline in tough times, whereas in fact the opposite is true.

A few other key mistakes:

Conclusion

The Fleishman Hillard study covers much more than these points (for more information about the study please contact Nancy Bauer at Nancy.Bauer@fleishman.com). Its central premise is even broader than I have indicated here, and suggests that the American woman, through her positive and evolved outlook, has brought about an American Matriarchy, in which:

• She leads the family, the economy, the nation… and her own life.
• Her similarities are more important than her differences.
• She buys based on need, value, and values. Spending carefully has become a moral virtue.

From what I know about the smart, successful women over 50 we celebrate at VibrantNation.com, this study is right on track.