A combination of factors, including women’s greater participation in the workplace, plus changes affecting family life, mean that many women today are busier than ever, trying to manage a number of roles at the same time, both at work and at home. Some key areas of change that Mintel has identified include:

more women are in employment (there were 11.5 million women in employment in 1989, 13 million in 2004)

more mothers of children aged 0-4 are working (51% in 1994, 59% in 2004)

About women’s changing lifestyles:

A combination of factors, including women’s greater participation in the workplace, plus changes affecting family life, mean that many women today are busier than ever, trying to manage a number of roles at the same time, both at work and at home. Some key areas of change that Mintel has identified include:

more women are in employment (there were 11.5 million women in employment in 1989, 13 million in 2004)

more mothers of children aged 0-4 are working (51% in 1994, 59% in 2004)

women are getting married later (average age at first marriage was 22.6 years in 1971, 28.9 years in 2003)

they are more likely to cohabit (27% of women in 2003/04, compared with 13% in 1986)

more women are marrying younger men (15% in 1963, 26% in 2001)

they are having children later (average age at first childbirth was 24 years in 1971, 29.9 years in 2003), and they are having fewer children

more women are lone parents (6% of children were in households headed by lone mothers in 1972, 22% in 2004)

more women are remaining childless throughout their lives (11% of today’s 57 year olds, 18% of 47 year olds, were childless at age 45).

For marketers seeking to attract the attention of today’s female consumer, it has never been more important to gain a firm understanding of the resulting changes in attitudes and mentalities that go hand in hand with these evolving lifestyles.

About Mintel’s research:

Mintel’s new Lifestyles Horizons report offers you a fresh insight how women are coping with their different roles, at the things that worry them, and their hopes and plans for the future

Bringing together trend data from the most up-to-date sources and presenting findings from Mintel’s exclusive lifestyle research, it also looks at how technology helps women to manage their family lives and domestic chores, and to make the most of their leisure time.

Mintel’s research makes for essential reading for anyone looking to understand precisely what motivate today’s female consumer.