Yesterday during an event that took place in partnership with CCPlus, Nielsen Egypt, shared interesting and unique findings on the inner workings of Egyptian women’s minds, the factors that drive their decisions in life and how women of tomorrow in the country will look. Surveying a diverse selection of women from all walks of life covering Cairo and the Delta region, Nielsen pooled the results of a sample segment of society representing women from different socioeconomic groups, families and work and home environments.
In addition to expected findings such as the growing decision making role that women are having in the family setting, one of the most interesting findings was the positive outlook that women still maintain, despite the challenges that the country has faced over the past years. Talking about their decision to partner with Nielsen on this important research study, Ms. Lamia Kamel, Managing Director of CCPlus said “An integral part of public relations is being able to understand the factors that influence public opinions.
In fact this is one of the reasons that CCPlus prides itself on its strong public opinions department. Yet, is no longer enough to just understand these opinions, having scientific based research and statistics that clearly identify how decisions are made is crucial if we are to educate the public and continue to support the development of society. This is why we are extremely proud to be part of a strategic partnership with the leading research company Nielsen, in a study we believe is of exponential importance in this day and age. Women’s role not only at home and in society is growing every year; they are becoming an influential group in the public sphere. Today we have more women in parliament than many countries around the world. Women are breaking the glass ceiling in the workplace, becoming more economically independent, better educated and more empowered; this needs’ to be reflected in the way we address public audiences.”
As part of the research study, Nielsen delved into the minds of women to understand their key concerns and challenges. Almost 55% of women believed the economic situation would improve but major concerns over the future of Egypt revolved around security concerns and inflation. With 41% of women highlighting terrorism and 33% citing food inflation as their number one fear. In general whilst spending is still most predominantly spent on household items, the interest and investment in education is growing and the importance of technology as a tool to empower women is also increasing; more than a third of women noted that they are using technology more with more than 70% noting that Facebook is their main channel of communication.
“Women already make up almost half of the Egyptian population, and are influencing the decision making process more and more every day. We see women making the key decisions not only in the nuclear family but also in the public sphere too. Understanding the factors that shape these decisions is crucial to the future of Egypt and will go a long way to explaining what the country will look like in the years to come,” explained Rasha Sultan, Director, Qualitative Research, Nielsen North Africa.
Three distinct yet surprising female personalities were identified; the “go getters”, “family traditionalists” and “fun loving”. Despite the important role that family plays amongst women in general, other considerations that are more far reaching and forward thinking now define the decisions being taken.
A quarter of women are go getters with work and educational options defining the decisions they make. For these women job security is their number one concern, their purchasing decisions revolve around providing better educational options for their children and creating financial security for their family. This segment of society is by far the biggest technology users; with more than half of them confirming that technology is a large part of their daily routine. Family traditionalists, which make up 36% of women in Egypt, are driven by their desire to address their family needs; this above all is their prime priority and passion.
Food prices are the biggest concern for this sector that spends the majority of their income on household items. Yet, their passion for their family extends to their neighbors too, with over 80% of family traditionalists feeling responsible and accountable for supporting and helping the local community in which they live. Perhaps, most surprising of all are the fun loving ladies who make up the biggest segment of women. Passionate about life and its pleasures they love travelling, reading, socializing and more! To them success is defined by their ability to save money to support the hobbies they are passionate about which is why 14% of them save each month. Dealing with the economic challenges in the country most women would rather cut back on the brands they traditionally used opting for cheaper versions of the same product, with the exception of fun loving women who would rather cut back on electricity and phone bills, so that the extra money could go towards their leisure activities.
“The conclusion that we can draw is that the way that women are thinking is evolving,” said Ms. Sultan. “Today women’s priorities are changing; there is a greater focus on technology, higher education and the need to create time and money to enjoy the things they are passionate about.”
ABOUT NIELSEN
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy. Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services across all devices where content — video, audio and text — is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90 percent of the world’s population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.
ABOUT CCPLUS
Corporate Communications Plus (CCPlus) is a full-fledged multi-disciplinary communications consulting agency operating in local and regional markets, delivering on clients’ brand reputation as well as providing strategic thinking and high impact campaigns across all communication spectrums. CCPlus blends proven public relations’ methodologies with cutting edge press relations, events management and digital media to craft strategic programs that give clients winning and measurable results. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in business,CC Plus provides strategic PR counsel to a variety of clients across all commercial and non-commercial fields. CC Plus capitalizes on its breadth of expertise in business communications, press relations and innovative ideas to deliver the best-in-class integrated set of communications services.
