Overview 1
Catalyst 1
Summary 1
Table of Contents 2
Table of figures 3
INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF TREND-TRACKING 4
Tracking consumer mega-trends is fundamental to long-term success 4
Trend-tracking insight 1: mega-trends can be classified in two ways according to desirable benefits and societal complexities 5
Trend-tracking insight 2: trends are aligned with pre-existing, but evolving human values, attitudes, needs and behaviors 6
Trend-tracking insight 3: mega-trends can be broken down into trends and sub-trends highlighting that trend frameworks provide structure and clarity at a time of 'information overload' 7
Trend-tracking insight 4: manufacturers, retailers and researchers/futurologists perpetuate trends 11
Trend-tracking insight 5: adopting a broader, global perspective to trend-tracking facilitates better decision making by overcoming 'category myopia' 13
Trend-tracking insight 6: trends have longer-term implications than fads and can be categorized by evolvement 14
Trend-tracking insight 7: for every trend there is a 'counter-trend' while 'trend-crossover' is also and important phenomena 16
Takeouts and implications: a trend framework boosts the quality and frequency of insight generation ensuring maximum return from the broader market research processes in place 17
THE FUTURE DECODED: DECIPERING THE GENDER COMPLEXITY MEGA-TREND 19
MEGA-TREND SYNOPSIS: GENDER ROLES IN MODERN SOCIETY ARE LESS CLEAR CUT, BREEDING NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN THE CPG SPACE 19
TREND: Hybrid traditionalism: male consumers values are characterized by an amalgam of both masculine traditionalism and feminized modernity 20
SUB-TREND: Embracing feminized values: males are becoming more aware and proactive towards their wellness needs 21
In Europe, male concerns for wellness issues closely follow those exhibited by their female peers 22
Males in the Americas are taking health and wellness issues seriously 28
Asia Pacific males closely mirror female attitudes and behaviors over health and wellness issues 33
While Middle Eastern men are now more aware of their wellness needs they are not necessarily embracing feminized values in the process 37
Key takeouts and implications: male consumers share similar attitudes and behaviors to their female peers in relation to wellness issues 42
SUB-TREND: Embracing feminized values: males are embracing appearance consciousness 43
Appearance consciousness is a significant factor affecting male behaviors across Europe 46
Attitudes towards appearance vary greatly between US males and their more openly feminized Brazilian peers 51
Differing cultural values mean that men in Asia Pacific are less image focused than their female counterparts and their male peers internationally 56
UAE and Saudi males embrace appearance consciousness but do so with little threat to their sense of masculinity 62
Key takeouts and implications: the commercialization of beauty now influences males as well as females' attitudes and consumption habits 66
SUB-TREND: The 'retrosexual': traditional machismo still resonates in the face of the feminization of society 67
Key takeouts and implications: The traditional masculinity associated with retrosexualism still has relevance for mainstream male consumers 70
SUB-TREND: The majority of male consumers are pragmatic, combining elements of traditional masculinity and the modern feminized values 71
Key takeouts and implications: Marketers must avoid excluding the male majority through myopic focus on conveniently tagged small sub-groups of male consumers 74
TREND: Female consumers are emancipated and empowered but still play out traditional gender roles 75
SUB-TREND: Females are expressing their independence, both at work and play 76
Women in Europe want to experience more satisfying leisure time, while performing to their potential at work 78
Women in the Americas, especially in emerging markets, are keen to seek out new challenges in life 82
Asia Pacific women are seeking more independence and new opportunities 87
Saudi and UAE women want, and are achieving, greater independence 92
Key takeouts and implications: Independent females can be targeted based on their experimental consumerism and convenience needs 96
SUB-TREND: Traditional female gender roles remain established elements of consumption behavior 96
Women remain predominantly in charge of domestic duties in Europe 99
Female domestic roles in the Americas reflect the clash between traditionalism and modern time pressures 103
Traditional gender roles retain significant importance in the Asia Pacific region in terms of both genders' expectations of the other 107
Traditional female gender roles are common in the Middle East 111
Key takeouts and implications: Marketers must meet the needs of traditional female roles with products providing shortcuts 113
TREND: Polarized gender values and attitudes are leading to a trend of 'role anxiety' 113
SUB-TREND: work-life pressures and stress are issues crossing gender boundaries 114
Europeans of both genders struggle with their work-life balance commitments 115
In the Americas, the emerging market consumers of Brazil are taking more decisive action to address their work-life balance issues than US consumers 119
In Asia Pacific, the experience of Chinese and Indian consumers starkly contrasts both genders in Japan 124
Stress issues are not as likely to cross gender boundaries in the Middle East 128
Key takeouts and implications: common work-life balance problems reflects the coalescing of male and female experiences inside and outside the home 131
SUB-TREND: Modern parenting roles and professional lives have blurred traditional gender responsibilities 131
European mothers are content with their family life but rate work highly 134
Gender responsibilities in the Americas have shifted to close the gap between men and women 136
Asia Pacific consumers are experiencing some changes to the gender role dynamic as strong, persistent traditional family values meet with modern influences 139
Gender responsibilities with regard to work and family remain more well-defined in the Middle East 142
Key takeouts and implications: Marketers face greater cross-over and ambiguity between males and females that affects preconceived ideas of gender targeting 144
APPENDIX 145
Definitions 145
Methodology 145
Further reading and references 146
Ask the analyst 147
Datamonitor consulting 147
Disclaimer 147
List of Figures
Figure 1: Datamonitor's mega-trends are having a long-term and substantive impact on the marketing landscape and can be grouped into two categories 6
Figure 2: Consumer behavior and the innovations targeting it inevitably fit into a 'trend hierarchy' 7
Figure 3: Trend tracking can be a source of (comparative) competitive analysis 9
Figure 4: Datamonitor's mega-trend framework helps set the agenda for the specific topics covered in the New Consumer Insight (NCI) research stream 10
Figure 5: Trend development is dictated by both 'consumer pull' and 'manufacturer push' and Datamonitor offers the intelligence tools to capitalize on this reaity 12
Figure 6: In a consumerist global culture, the broad consumption spheres/segments transcend borders 14
Figure 7: Several factors distinguish a trend from a fad 16
Figure 8: The diversification and increased overlap of consumers' gender roles underpins the Gender Complexity mega-trend 19
Figure 9: The majority of males are comfortable combining macho and feminine elements into their attitudes and consumption behaviors 20
Figure 10: The majority of European males are satisfied with their health in general 24
Figure 11: Europeans are generally placing more importance on their health than in the past 25
Figure 12: European males show above average levels of satisfaction with the nutritional quality of their diets 25
Figure 13: Male dieting is strongest in the more feminized male cultures of southern Europe 26
Figure 14: European males are more likely than the global average to be taking conscious measures to eat healthily 26
Figure 15: Russian and Swedish men are the least likely in Europe to place importance on exercise 27
Figure 16: UK female respondents were the least satisfied with their fitness levels in Europe 27
Figure 17: Attitudes to health vary by gender in both North and South America 29
Figure 18: Improving health has increased in importance to both men and women in the Americas 30
Figure 19: Men in the Americas were more likely to be satisfied with the nutritional content of their diet 30
Figure 20: Women are more likely than men to follow a specific diet plan 31
Figure 21: Women are more likely than men to be eating healthily most of the time 31
Figure 22: In the Americas, exercise is slightly more important to women than men in creating a sense of wellbeing 32
Figure 23: Men in the Americas were more likely than women in the region to profess satisfaction with their level of physical fitness 32
Figure 24: Indians are the most satisfied with their health in Asia Pacific 34
Figure 25: Indian males are particularly focused on improving their health 34
Figure 26: Indian males are the consumers most satisfied with their diets in Asia Pacific 35
Figure 27: Indian males are the most committed globally to following specific diet plans 35
Figure 28: Japanese males are the least likely to make regular attempts to eat healthily in Asia Pacific 36
Figure 29: Indians are the most satisfied with their levels of fitness in Asia Pacific 36
Figure 30: Exercising is considered important by the majority of Asia Pacific consumers 37
Figure 31: Saudi females are more satisfied about their general health then Saudi men 39
Figure 32: UAE men have attached more importance to maintaining or improving their health then UAE women over the last two years 40
Figure 33: Middle Eastern males exhibit higher satisfaction with the nutritional quality of their diet, a trend associated with their high rates of dieting and proactive attempts to eat healthily 40
Figure 34: Males in the Middle East exhibit above average adherence to diet plans 41
Figure 35: Both UAE and Saudi men are making more of an effort to eat healthily then UAE and Saudi women 41
Figure 36: Saudi males express a below average satisfaction with their physical fitness 42
Figure 37: European men are more satisfied with their body than women 47
Figure 38: European males are more satisfied with their personal appearance than females, explaining why greater female proactivity on appearance issues remains the norm 48
Figure 39: Around half of male Europeans place importance on feeling physically attractive 48
Figure 40: Looking good in day-to-day life is of varying importance to European males by nationality 49
Figure 41: The belief in the relationship between attractiveness and success in life is widely held amongst Europeans of both genders 49
Figure 42: European males are still demonstrating an attitude-behavior gap in taking active measures to improve their appearance compared to females 50
Figure 43: Fragrance use among European males correlates to the extent of male comfort with and uptake of feminized values 50
Figure 44: In the Americas, men were more likely than women to be satisfied with their own body shape 53
Figure 45: Men were slightly more satisfied than women with their own physical attractiveness 53
Figure 46: Women in the Americas are more likely than men to value feeling physically attractive as important in contributing to wellbeing 54
Figure 47: Women are more likely than men to find it important to look their best in day-to-day life 54
Figure 48: Majorities of both genders in the Americas view attractiveness as a driver in success/opportunities in life 55
Figure 49: Brazilian males are well above the global (and US) average for increasing time spend on personal appearance 55
Figure 50: Brazilians are very open to fragrance usage, contrasting their US counterparts 56
Figure 51: Both genders of Japanese consumers are unsatisfied with their body weight 58
Figure 52: Indians are much more satisfied with their appearance than the Japanese 59
Figure 53: Indian females are the most conscious of their attractiveness 59
Figure 54: Females in Asia Pacific are more concerned about looking good than males, particularly in China 60
Figure 55: The equation of attractiveness with success in Asia is most acutely pressuring Chinese and Japanese women 60
Figure 56: Both male and female respondents in India are concentrating more on looking good 61
Figure 57: Australian and Indian males are the most open to the use of fragrances, contrasting the cultures of China, Japan and South Korea 61
Figure 58: Saudi and UAE men are significantly happier with personal body weight and shape than their respective female counterparts 63
Figure 59: Male satisfaction with appearance with well above the global average in the Gulf 64
Figure 60: Middle Eastern men attach above average importance to looking good in day-to-day life 64
Figure 61: Belief in the association between attractiveness and success in the Gulf is on a par with the global average 65
Figure 62: UAE and Saudi men believe using fragrance products is important 65
Figure 63: Retrosexual advertising: Snickers "Get Some Nuts" campaign channels humorous depictions of the loss of masculinity and positions the product as the antidote 70
Figure 64: The majority of males are pragmatic, their attitudes and behaviors built on elements of both metro- and retrosexuality 71
Figure 65: Mini case study: The Bulldog brand is designed to appeal to masculine tastes, without being overtly feminine 74
Figure 66: Empowered female consumers still play out traditional female roles 76
Figure 67: Females globally are deciding their goals in life to a similar extent to males 76
Figure 68: Full time employment is the dominant working status for European females 79
Figure 69: Women are marginally more likely to find new life sensations important than men in Europe 80
Figure 70: Spanish women are more likely than males to have recently sought more sensations in life 80
Figure 71: While occupational success is important to European women, few feel they have achieved success in the workplace 81
Figure 72: Self expression is important to the majority of European women 81
Figure 73: Spanish females have particularly become leisure time maximizers in the past two years 82
Figure 74: Full time employment among women is high in the Americas, although homemaking is above average in the US 84
Figure 75: Brazilian women stand out regionally in their strong desire to seek new challenges and experiences 84
Figure 76: Brazilian women have been particularly proactive in the last two years in seeking new challenges and experiences 85
Figure 77: While women in the Americas consider occupational success as an important factor in their wellbeing, they are much less likely to express satisfaction with this area of their lives 86
Figure 78: Individuality and self-expression are more important to women than men in the Americas 86
Figure 79: The desire to maximize leisure time highlights the cultural difference between the work-focused US and Brazil 87
Figure 80: China has a highly emancipated female workforce compared to other countries in the Asia Pacific region 89
Figure 81: Both genders in the emergent Asia Pacific markets place much importance on sensation-seeking 90
Figure 82: Males in Asia Pacific have a greater increased focus on seeking new challenges 90
Figure 83: Women in Asia Pacific see work as essential to wellbeing but in contrast their satisfaction levels are low 91
Figure 84: Females value self expression slightly more than males in Asia Pacific 91
Figure 85: Japanese consumers stand out through their lower commitment to maximizing leisure time 92
Figure 86: Tradition and the gender divide within the workplace remains clear in the Middle East, although females in the UAE have a solid presence within full time employment 94
Figure 87: Over the last two years Saudi and UAE women have begun to attach much more importance to seeking new challenges and life experiences 95
Figure 88: Saudi women are unhappy about their level of occupational success 95
Figure 89: Average daily time-spend on all household tasks* (hours), by gender, in Europe, US and Asia Pacific, by country, 2007 97
Figure 90: Daily time spent on food preparation and consumption, (hours), by gender, in Europe, the US and Asia Pacific, 2007 98
Figure 91: Over 40% of females globally see being a housewife as unfulfilling 98
Figure 92: Women were more likely to cook meals from scratch than men in Europe in 2008 100
Figure 93: The recession has impacted peoples' home cooking trends, but women still cook more often 100
Figure 94: A small but significant proportion of women eat regularly on the go in Europe 101
Figure 95: A high proportion of European women do not like doing the housework 101
Figure 96: Many women in Europe look to minimize the time they spend doing housework 102
Figure 97: Italian women are particularly keen on getting someone else to do their housework 102
Figure 98: In 2008, women in the Americas cooked evening meals from scratch more often than men 104
Figure 99: The gender gap in scratch-cooking behaviors increased further in 2009 105
Figure 100: Regularly eating meals on-the-go is twice as common among Brazilian females than their US counterparts 105
Figure 101: Housework is disliked by around half of all consumers in the US and Brazil 106
Figure 102: The desire to minimize the amount of time spent on housework is particularly high among women in Brazil 106
Figure 103: Brazilian women, facing more labor-intensive housework than their US peers, are very enthusiastic about paying someone else to perform housework duties 107
Figure 104: Women predominantly cook home meals more than men in Asia Pacific 108
Figure 105: The recession has impacted the frequency rates of male and female home cooking in Asia Pacific 109
Figure 106: On the go meal consumption is particularly frequent among Indian females based on rising work-life balance pressures 109
Figure 107: Housework is not an enjoyable task for many females in Asia Pacific, especially Australians and Japanese 110
Figure 108: South Korean females are particularly keen on housework minimization 110
Figure 109: Many Indians of both genders would consider paying someone else to do the housework 111
Figure 110: Women do more of the cooking in the UAE and Saudi 112
Figure 111: Gulf region men are more likely to eat more regularly on the go 112
Figure 112: Role Anxiety a consequence of increased ambiguity over males and females' gender identity 114
Figure 113: Both genders globally place more importance on work than leisure time 115
Figure 114: Females in Europe have made greater efforts to improve work-life balance than males 116
Figure 115: More men than women believe their work-life balances have improved 117
Figure 116: Europeans are less optimistic than the global average about work-life improvements 117
Figure 117: Males have seen slightly more improvement to their stress levels than females in Europe 118
Figure 118: The majority of Europeans believe stress levels will not improve in the near future 118
Figure 119: Like work-life balance, females in Europe have been more proactive in taking steps to reduce stress in their lives 119
Figure 120: Both men and women in the Americas are looking to improve their work-life balance 121
Figure 121: Men were slightly more likely to claim their work-life balance had improved 121
Figure 122: Some optimism over work-life balance in the near future exists among consumers in the Americas 122
Figure 123: Men were slightly more likely than women in the Americas to have experienced reduced stress levels in the previous six months 122
Figure 124: Optimism for the reduction of stress levels in the near future in Brazil eclipses that in the US 123
Figure 125: US males have been less decisive compared to US females and Brazilians in proactively addressing stress 123
Figure 126: Consumers in India and China had made the most attempts to improve work-life balances 125
Figure 127: Males consumers in Asia Pacific believe they have achieved greater success in addressing their work-life balance than women 125
Figure 128: Chinese and Indian consumers are the most optimistic about future improvements to their work-life balance 126
Figure 129: Chinese and Indians were more optimistic than other consumers in seeing stress level improvements 126
Figure 130: Japanese consumers are the least optimistic about whether their stress levels will improve in future 127
Figure 131: Males and females in the Asia Pacific region have taken similar steps to reduce their stress levels 127
Figure 132: Saudi and UAE men were more likely to indicate that their work life-balance had improved over the last six months 129
Figure 133: Middle Eastern men and women are equally optimistic about their future work-life balance outlook 129
Figure 134: UAE women are most likely to indicate that daily stress levels have actually abated over the last six months 130
Figure 135: Regional women generally expect their levels of daily stress to reduce over the next six months 130
Figure 136: Both genders place overwhelming value of the importance of family in their lives 133
Figure 137: Men and women globally look positively on changes that give them more emphasis on their family life in the future 133
Figure 138: However, less emphasis on work is seen negatively by men and women equally, clashing with their desire for more family time 133
Figure 139: Russian consumers of both genders are less satisfied with their family life than other Europeans 135
Figure 140: Spanish females are particularly finding it more important to spend time with friends and family 135
Figure 141: Russians are the least satisfied with the time they get to spend with their children 136
Figure 142: US satisfaction with family life is above the global average in the US 137
Figure 143: The importance of spending time with friends and family has increased for many consumers in the Americas against the backdrop of recession 138
Figure 144: Women are more likely to be satisfied with the amount of time spent with children 138
Figure 145: Indians of both genders are the most satisfied with their family life in Asia Pacific 140
Figure 146: Japanese have changed the least in regards to valuing spending time with friends and family 141
Figure 147: Women tend to be more satisfied than men over time spent with their children in Asia Pacific 141
Figure 148: Gulf consumers, especially men, are satisfied with their family lives 142
Figure 149: Gulf women are increasingly prioritizing spending time with family and friends 143
Figure 150: Gulf women are noticeably more satisfied than men with the amount of time spent with their children 143
Figure 151: There are differences between consumer values and attitudes 145