girl uninterrupted – the story of single women in india
TRANSCRIPT
GIRL UNINTERRUPTEDThe story of single women in India
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“A MAN WITHOUT A WOMAN IS ONLY
HALF A MAN”
“…AND A WOMAN WITHOUT
A MAN IS?”Indian proverb The Sound
WHO ARE THEY?
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WHO ARE THEY?
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Indian society is largely patrilocal and places a high premium on the traditional roles of wife, mother and daughter
MISOGYNY IS A DEFINING FEATURE OF WOMEN’S LIVES AND RELATIONSHIP NORMS
‣ Religious stories, cultural myths and the media are filled with narra6ves of the ideal wife and mother
‣Women are expected to marry once they come of age and serve their husband and in-‐laws
‣Women are expected to marry once they complete their educa6on – some6mes even before, and their extended social circle places pressure to ensure this
‣ ‘Marry by age’ means that girls should get married when they are between 18 and 24
‣ As women climb the educa6onal ladder, the gender ra6o decreases and carries forward into lower representa6on of women in professions
“In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead, to her sons; a woman must never be independent.”– Manu Smriti, Hindu sacred texts
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BUT THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BLOWING, AND MORE WOMEN ARE PUTTING OFF TRADITIONAL ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS
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HOW MANY ARE THEY?
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Single women in India make up a sizeable cohort and the numbers speak to this quick change
MANY ARE CHOOSING TO GO IT ALONE
‣ 21% (73 million) of India’s women above the age of 20 are now single
‣ Their numbers grew 40% between 2001 and 2011 according to census data
‣ An incredible 66% growth rate in the number of singles in the 20-‐29yo age bracket in the past few years
Staying single is s,ll easier for the privileged, making single women a lucra,ve cons,tuency as consumers
These numbers are making brands, businesses and popular media sit up and no,ce, and as a consequence the conversa,on is moving forward
‘There was a time when single women were pitied. Then TV shows like Sex and the City made it cool and desirable. Now people have moved on to serious issues associated with singlehood, like security of women, and surrogacy’ – Advaita Kala, author of Almost Single, screenwriter of Kahaani, and single
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HOW MANY ARE THEY?
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Single women have been gaining ground across Asia, and India is set to overtake its neighbours on this front
…AND THIS ISN'T IN ISOLATION
The surge of single women isn't limited to India – the world is following a progression seen across Asia, due to a number of factors:
‣Women have increasing access to educa6on, and subsequently, par6cipa6on in the workforce
‣ Employment migra6on results in women living independent from family and societal constraints
‣ Professional women don’t want to get married and take on mul6ple familial du6es at the expense of their career
‣Women across Asia tradi6onally 'marry up’; diminishing the available op6ons for the best qualified/employed women. Men on the other hand are used to marrying down and find rela6onships with educated and independent women challenging
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HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A SINGLE WOMAN IN INDIA?
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WHAT DEFINES THEM?
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THEY ARE EMPOWERED AND DEFIANT BUT OFTEN ASSAILED BY DOUBTS: THEIR OWN AND THOSE OF SOCIETY
NormsSingle
Women’s Uncertainty
Autonomy & Independence
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“I MAKE MY OWN CHOICES, BUT THE WORLD KEEPS QUESTIONING THEM”They’re traversing uncharted territory, boldly breaking new ground but everyone around them looks at them with suspicion
‣ They are oYen viewed as an anomaly, an iconoclast, or worse – a leY-‐over
‣ It is frustra6ng but these challenges inspire resilience: they are proud to be single
‣ The economic reasons for marriage don’t apply like they did for previous genera6ons
‣ They haven’t ruled out marriage en6rely but know that they can do be[er than the choices presented to them
HER AUTONOMY NORM
Everyone gets married Why should I live my life like everyone else?
Marriage is about adjus6ng Why should I compromise my career?
Single income is not enough these days Why should I get someone to pay for me?
Be[er to have kids when young Why not have them when I will feel like it?
VS
WHAT DEFINES THEM?
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“I'M HAPPY TO BE INDEPENDENT, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT LIES AHEAD”They are free to do whatever they want but when they seek role models and support systems there is no one to turn to
HER UNCERTAINTY HER INDEPENDENCE
I have lots of me 6me Do I go travel with my married friends?
I don’t need to think about kids’ educa6on! Who will inherit all my wealth?
I can focus on my career Will my job replace rela6onships?I have a good network of friends Who will be there for me when I am old?
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WHAT DEFINES THEM?
‣ Life is geared towards family as a default secng -‐ right from food por6ons to property rentals to raising children
‣ It can be hard to connect with other single women for inspira6on or advice
‣ Socializing with women living a similar life and facing similar problems is important but not many friends stay single
‣ Being free from the expecta6ons of partners or in-‐laws lets them focus on pursuing passions, careers, travel, and leisure
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WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
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Single women need to feel recognized, understood, and accepted as part of the norm
EARN THEIR TRUST BY NORMALIZING THEIR EXPERIENCE
To beBer represent an evolving society and earn trust for suppor,ng progressive values, brands will have to:
1) Ac6vely break taboos which hold the majority back
2) Help normalize groups that are redefining the status quo by portraying them as an unremarkable part of everyday life
We’re s6ll some way off from step 1, let alone step 2
“The SKII campaign features women who’ve chosen to pursue their dreams instead of being pressured into marrying for the sake of it. It’s helped increase sales of SK-II in China more than 50 percent over the past nine months”
- Markus Strobel, global president of SK-II
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BRAND?
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INCLUDE THEM IN WHAT YOU SAY AND DOSingle women aren’t just numerous, they also have more time and money to spendMore and more progressive businesses are targe,ng single women.
‣ Fringe travel companies like Girls on the Go, WOW Club, India Untravelled, and Beyond, who cater to solo women travellers, are on the up6ck
‣ Ladies nights in bars in progressive ci6es are becoming increasingly popular and bars are pucng in place measures like female bouncers and women-‐only sec6ons for the security of their patrons
‣ Da6ng apps like Truly Madly, Floh and Tinder report rapidly rising numbers of women users
Popular culture is depic,ng female agency and independence in a whole new light
‣ New Indian cinema and web series like Queen, Kahaani, Margherita with a Straw, Ladies Room, are widely watched and talked about
‣ Books on the single life are increasingly gracing bookshelves – compelling even Chetan Bhagat to write One Indian Girl
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BRAND?
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INDIAN WOMEN ARE CHOOSING HOW TO BE… SO SHOULD YOU!
THE EXPERIMENTERS
Some watch and jewellery brands like Tanishq have begun talking to single
women but don’t want to scare away their larger market
THE CONVENTIONALS
Many FMCG, appliances and telecom companies who ac6vely speak to women s6ll showcase her within the tradi6onal roles of mother, wife, and moorless-‐without-‐her-‐man
THE BLIND
Finance, automobiles, and real estate companies who’ve tradi6onally wooed men, don’t yet see the opportunity of this growing
cohort. Women aren’t a part of their messaging, except to smile and support the
provider of the house!
This is uncharted territory for most brands, so doing it the right way has not been established yet
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BRAND?
V A N C O U V E R | N E W Y O R K | L O N D O N | T O R O N T O | C H I C A G O | M U M B A I
WWW. T H E SOUNDHQ .COM
Would you like more of this kind of thinking? Or perhaps you just want someone for a coffee and a chat.
Aili Seghetti - [email protected] Aasish Francis - [email protected]
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RESOURCES
COVER h[ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-‐LLOgv1Olg
SLIDE 2 h[ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-‐LLOgv1Olg
SLIDE 3 h[ps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/here-‐are-‐all-‐the-‐stunning-‐images-‐of-‐women-‐that-‐atlas-‐of-‐beau?utm_term=.wbJMNmzX6#.txMPpWqnb
SLIDE 4 h[ps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/here-‐are-‐all-‐the-‐stunning-‐images-‐of-‐women-‐that-‐atlas-‐of-‐beau?utm_term=.wbJMNmzX6#.txMPpWqnb
SLIDE 5 h[p://wallpaper-‐gallery.net/images/indian-‐wallpaper-‐free-‐download/indian-‐wallpaper-‐free-‐download-‐16.jpg
SLIDE 6 h[p://uclickvframe.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2016/01/woman-‐beauty-‐atlas-‐mihaela-‐noroc-‐191__880.jpg
SLIDE 7 h[ps://s-‐media-‐cache-‐ak0.pinimg.com/originals/60/09/1f/60091f50395322d16cf2466f78cb1c9f.jpg
SLIDE 8 h[ps://aamjanata.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2011/11/Shy_smile_of_a_bride_in_a_Hindu_wedding.jpg
SLIDE 8 h[ps://femicaresurgery.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2016/01/fcsc-‐gyn-‐services.jpg
SLIDE 9 h[p://blog.ut.ee/wp-‐content/uploads/2017/04/Garry-‐Knight.jpg
SLIDE 10 h[p://i.huffpost.com/gen/1665107/images/o-‐WOMAN-‐BLINDFOLDED-‐facebook.jpg
SLIDE 11 h[ps://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-‐sta6c/sta6c/2016-‐03/15/2/enhanced/webdr14/original-‐18653-‐1458023990-‐7.jpg?no-‐auto
SLIDE 12 h[p://southasiajournal.net/wp-‐content/uploads/2014/11/Indian_woman_smiles.jpg
SLIDE 13 h[ps://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/henna.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1600
SLIDE 14 h[ps://www.youtube.com/user/TanishqJewellery
SLIDE 14 h[ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9BlI9nhqTE
SLIDE 14 h[p://adsoYheworld.com/media/print/volkswagen_ravan