Advertising agency JWT Folk has launched  a study called Female Tribes that delves into the views of women in Ireland and throughout the world.

The study reveals that there is a general view that it has never been a better time to be a woman in Ireland, but the reality is that Irish women are still dealing with major issues.

Some of the macro themes that have emerged from the report highlight the main challenges women face: low self-esteem, gender bias in the workplace and the importance of financial independence.

When asked what their biggest challenges, managing stress was cited as the main concern (41%). Four in ten respondents reported lacking energy or feeling tired, while one in five admitted to lacking motivation.

The study shows that women in Ireland really do ‘want it all’. Success for Irish women is about being happy (48%) and
healthy (31%), but other priorities high on the list are owning a home (26%), raising healthy and happy children (36%), being in a fulfilling relationship (20%), and financial independence (29%).

In Association with

Female Tribes is JWT Folk’s proprietary study about women and is part of a global study by JWT Intelligence. In Ireland the research covered a nationally representative sample of women, who were aksed for their views and experiences on everything from how they define personal success, to what motivates and challenges them, to work, family, money, culture, religion, tech, role models, children, education and gender stereotypes.

Gender Bias

More than 1 in 4 women in Ireland say they experience gender bias or sexism at work on a regular basis and that increases to 41% for those aged 18–29. One third of women believe they are held back professionally because they are women and almost half of the women surveyed believe they get paid less than a man who is doing the same job.

Younger women are more likely to have issues with confidence, citing their insecurities as preventing them from achieving their potential (47% in the 18-29 cohort, 29% in 30-39 group, and 20% in 40- 49 cohort).

Abi Moran, CEO of JWT Folk, commented: “Irish women are still dealing with some major challenges. They are working tirelessly in their quest to have it all. The Female Tribes research shows that Irish women are working hard to achieve their goals and although it has never been a better time to be a woman, there is more to do.

"The growing importance of the female audience for brands cannot be underestimated. It is evidenced in the increasing control Irish women hold over household budgets, the narrowing wage gap with men, the growing number of women set to enter the economy in the coming decade, the number of new businesses set up by women every year, and the increasing number of households headed by single Irish women.

"As Irish women progressively manage the majority of the household financial decisions, and as they continue to drive the economy forward, marketers need to take notice of, and engage more relevantly with, the female consumer. And that’s why we have undertaken this study. We have a responsibility in the advertising industry to represent, understand and celebrate what it actually means to be a woman living in Ireland today.”

Photo: Abi Moran (centre) with colleagues Julie Murray (left) and Eimear Fitzmaurice. (Pix: Julien Behal Photography)

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