What Do Women Want?
As the leading media and marketing company inspiring 75 million women, Meredith is committed to understanding and supporting the needs of women at every life stage. Meredith partnered with
NBC Universal to delve deeper into the minds of women across the nation, ages 18 - 64, to ask the provocative question—What
Do Women Want?
The 2008 What Do Women Want? study highlights the actions, attitudes and aspirations of women surrounding four critical topic areas: health, money, safety and life choices. The findings provide marketers with deep insights on the female psyche and implications for effectively targeting their best customers at every life stage.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Women & Money: Spend Now, Save Later
• While the majority of women are concerned about financial stresses, they are more likely to express anxiety about their financial future (retirement, Social Security threats, etc.) than their current state of debt and ability to “make ends meet”
• Women’s deeper concern about their long-term financial security rather than their existing debt directly contrasts with their feelings regarding health-related issues, where their greatest concerns are most immediate and short-term
• Moms indicate greater concern surrounding family finances than non-moms. They also report having significantly higher levels of debt than non-moms. Nearly half say that they feel
“overwhelmed by financial burdens”
Women & Health: Looking Good is Feeling Good
Women are far more concerned about physical appearance and weight than they are about disease and mortality.
• Women want to take care of themselves but are unlikely to do very much until they absolutely have to. Predictably, as women age and encounter a greater frequency and severity of physical ailments, their concerns about actual health issues and disease prevention increases
• All generations of women maintain a high degree of concern about appearance and weight. Moms are more likely than
NBC Universal to delve deeper into the minds of women across the nation, ages 18 - 64, to ask the provocative question—What
Do Women Want?
The 2008 What Do Women Want? study highlights the actions, attitudes and aspirations of women surrounding four critical topic areas: health, money, safety and life choices. The findings provide marketers with deep insights on the female psyche and implications for effectively targeting their best customers at every life stage.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Women & Money: Spend Now, Save Later
• While the majority of women are concerned about financial stresses, they are more likely to express anxiety about their financial future (retirement, Social Security threats, etc.) than their current state of debt and ability to “make ends meet”
• Women’s deeper concern about their long-term financial security rather than their existing debt directly contrasts with their feelings regarding health-related issues, where their greatest concerns are most immediate and short-term
• Moms indicate greater concern surrounding family finances than non-moms. They also report having significantly higher levels of debt than non-moms. Nearly half say that they feel
“overwhelmed by financial burdens”
Women & Health: Looking Good is Feeling Good
Women are far more concerned about physical appearance and weight than they are about disease and mortality.
• Women want to take care of themselves but are unlikely to do very much until they absolutely have to. Predictably, as women age and encounter a greater frequency and severity of physical ailments, their concerns about actual health issues and disease prevention increases
• All generations of women maintain a high degree of concern about appearance and weight. Moms are more likely than