Top End Indian Women: Evolving Roles, Aspirations and Consumption Patterns
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The document discusses the 'Top End' Indian woman, who comes from households earning over Rs. 8,000 per month. It describes her as distinct from both the very elite and middle class women. The summary discusses her appearance in conventional attire like saris and salwar suits, as well as her confident and opinionated demeanor. It also notes she is undergoing a gradual transition with some modern influences but still holding onto traditions. The document provides insights into her life as a homemaker who enjoys socializing but also feels restricted by family expectations.
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Top End Indian Women: Evolving Roles, Aspirations and Consumption Patterns
- 1. The ‘Top End’ Indian Woman 1
- 2. The ‘Top End’ woman A distinct segment distinct from very elite distinct from the middle class SEC A, 8000+ MHI
- 3. Top End Women HH based Income groups & SEC HHs SEC A1 SEC A2 SEC B1 SEC B2 Tot al ( 000s) 8K-10K 282 401 437 240 2664 10K-12K 180 204 187 82 1207 12K-15K 216 219 149 72 1021 15K-20K 151 105 66 24 478 20K+ 109 52 31 13 282 Tot al 1742 2979 4510 4124 19.2L HHs Source: The IRS 2000
- 4. Meeting her…
- 5. Her appearance Conventional Salwar suits and saris Younger: few in jeans and western outfits Neat hair even if short Some make up, typically eye liner, lipstick, perhaps bindi Does not look very different from ‘mass’ woman
- 6. Her manner Enjoys meeting other women Easily bonds, shares Aware of her opinion, and expresses it Believes in herself Confidence shows in body language.
- 8. Some typical instances Emerging streaks of ‘modern’ Entire group in giggles, discussing love marriages Must be good if shown on TV appreciation from husband is good but boys on the road will whistle…! If I look good everyday, who will look at me on Sundays I like to go out…. holiday for me hate the summer holidays… am constantly troubled by children
- 9. Some typical instances Yet, a core of tradition Takes pride in inter caste marriage but takes on husband’s ethnic and lingual identity almost totally Young girls into latest trends ready to don traditional role after marriage One starts criticizing mother-in-law, all start One starts discussing children, they can’t stop!! I won’t but my daughter should do not want to displease… ‘adjust kar lete hain’
- 10. Some not-so-typical instances Moments of confidence, spontaneity... Girl talking about reading ‘secret books’ in bathroom Housewife in Madurai enjoyed the group “staying at home is like being in Central Jail” Housewives: jeans on holiday, sleeveless in bedroom I like to dance in the kitchen… can’t help it when there is good music
- 11. Peek into her life
- 12. A Girl’s world Youth… living for today fascinated by the ever changing present focus on social life, outer driven aspire for independence, freedom, fun, friends educated, career a given (professional, artistic, hobby related) Moving out of home… Moving into self...
- 13. A woman’s reality Exposed… educated when younger sees peer, younger girls realises own worth beyond current realm I-values learnt from media Yet restricted… family, in laws, husband traditional role expectations own desire not to rebel or rock the boat
- 14. Her time is spent... Mainly household work Cooking, cleaning, looking after kids Some domestic help common Lots of free time!! For hobbies, socialising, even beautifying loves shopping, even for home things part time income generation Yet feeling of being very busy
- 15. Share of Time Working Act ivit y Urban Elit e HWs St udent Wom en Cooking 3:18 3:24 3:12 1:30 Tim e w it h fam ily 1:00 1:24 0:48 0:48 Household 0:54 1:24 0:48 0:24 Chores Personal Care 2:36 2:54 1:54 2:10 Leisure at hom e 3:24 3:48 1:36 4:12 Leisure o/ s hom e 1:24 1:24 1:00 1:24 Work/ College 2:12 - 6:00 4:00 St udies 0:18 - - 1:00 (Hours:Minutes) Source: Urban Elite
- 16. Her life Education Girl Outside Home Woman Housewife Discontinuity Emerging 16
- 18. A mom and a wife... RESPONSIBILITIES Family Nourishment Caring SELF - Indulgence - Recognition Other duties Housekeeper Managing Finances Has a bigger role in the family
- 19. A typical housewife... ‘Home Manager’ WORLD ‘Happy’ OF Adaptation WORLD OF SELF RESPONSIBILITY Not Dissociated from Family or Self Indulgent PAY OFFS : - Pride REINFORCES PRIDE - Recognition of IN SELF her efforts MAINTAIN HARMONY OF CURRENT BALANCE NOT SEEKING AN IDENTITY INDEPENDENT OF FAMILY ‘Home Manager’
- 20. Yet… regrets, aspires Aspires to… widen world, not break away have own identity be appreciated as an individual yearns … freedom and control meet friends more, go out, have fun be exposed to the world outside
- 21. Her struggle Resolution… Me… versus… others Outside home… versus… inside home Face challenges… versus… cling to safety Desire to stand up… versus… not rock the boat
- 22. Her evolution
- 23. The key point of change... Points of Reference (media led) – family to strangers – seeing similarities to seeing differences – realm of fantasy to realm of reality “Iknow I am different”, and….. “I know what I don’t have” Desire Replaces Self- Denial 23
- 24. The ‘I am me’ syndrome Non apologetic about self her background her opinions her choices in touch with self her views vis a vis others reasons out and decides aware of her own likes and dislikes
- 25. The ‘I won’t rock the boat’ syndrome Sees harmony as her domain must adjust keep peace smooth out frictions (let alone cause them) Values the collective experience of elders they have rights over me sense of ownership and belonging
- 26. “I am better than my mother” Syndrome More confident more exposed world outside her home More critical and evaluative has made choices has asserted her point of view More articulate knows how to express her point of view without rocking the “social boat” Less Wariness of the New Open to Change 26
- 27. Yet: “My mother knows more...” Syndrome She has had less training in domesticity Can deliver But is unsure End Product of the basic processes Can Recognize But is unsure Good Quality of replicating the end Can learn the But feels nervous about new delivering the traditional She recognizes her limitations She recognizes she needs support 27
- 28. “I have no time” Syndrome Housework takes less time smaller families appliances But she does more –greater involvement with children’s education, needs –sharing out-of-home responsibilities –has the potential of contributing financially Emerging Self Worth Valuing her Time 28
- 29. “I need time for myself...” Syndrome Her mother lived for others She knows otherwise…. personal priorities time for self; with friends not everything has to be for ‘larger good’ Sanctioning Self Indulgence 29
- 30. Implications
- 31. Implications in market place Media Explosion and Secure Finances They will spend more. The Changing Values of the Housewife Where will this be spent? 31
- 32. Lure of Variety Flirtation instead of forging loyalties ‘Horizontal’ versus ‘Vertical’ upgradation VFM - unshaken, new gains – Buying small becoming a norm? – Lower MRP’s reevaluated cue opportunity to try not cue poor quality; lower status FMCG’s…and fast moving ‘durables’? 32
- 33. Criticality of Product Differentiation Sensorials matter Enjoyable sensations expected without guilt Packaging, shop shelf look - gain an edge 33
- 34. “Personal” Products How personal are personal products – soap, talcum powder, skin care products – family uses just one Personalising the ‘Personal Products’ – enhanced per capita spend – enhanced value of the self – enhanced focus on sensorials Opportunity in segmentation – intra-family segmentation – age, sex 34
- 35. Trial of the ‘New’... and the ‘Not-so-new’…. Give me new…. – I am not afraid – I am not suspicious – I am different…first…better Give me tradition…. – I desire it – I can’t deliver it 35
- 36. The “Efficiency” Mantra Convenience products get sanctioned – Better utilisation of time – Payoff - enhancing productivity; not magnify incompetence Technology sanctioned – Purchasing efficiency – Not image 36
- 37. Some category truths:beauty Everyone wants fairness Minimalism matters Beauty ultimately means confidence There’s a time for glamour and a time for ordinariness Convenience is not a bad word Teach me how ‘Natural’ rules
- 38. Personal Grooming Working Woman Housewife Constantly conscious of herself, Fashion conscious, higher trendy degree of social interaction Exposure to people, well rounded Perceives grooming as the key personality aspect of her personality Paucity of time, externally aided Ample time, allows for daily grooming practices, high maintenance, home remedies, expenditure budget conscious Pressure to be well groomed from Pressure to be well groomed to colleagues etc appear attractive to spouse Feels free to spend on grooming Hesitates to spend on products, financially independent grooming products, financially dependent Source: Working woman HLL-MR
- 39. Personal Grooming High incidence of usage of various cosmetics / toiletries indicate - high involvement with grooming - enhancement products as important as skincare Level of usage of cosmetics higher in the younger 15 - 34 age segment Personal care progression model : Most urban elite belong to the "Evolving" segment Basic Evolving Evolved 15% 55% 30% Talc Face Wash Hair colourants Lipstick Eyeliner Styling gels / mousses Cold Cream Moisturiser Eye shadow Shampoo H & B Lotion Face Scrubs Talc Deo & Body Spray Sun Screen Nail Polish Anti Perspirants Perfumes / Cologne Source: Urban Elite
- 40. Average Monthly Expenses (Rs) 2800- 5600- 8500- 11000- < 2800 > 14000 5600 8500 11000 14000 Toilet soaps 24 40 58 73 79 92 Laundr y 40 64 94 113 140 174 Hair Car e 19 34 52 69 70 99 Or al Car e 23 37 48 54 61 73 Mass Sk in 8 21 35 60 60 85 • Talcs 5 12 18 37 27 36 • Cream s 3 8 17 24 32 49 Shaving 13 25 39 49 56 77 Color Cosm et ics 5 11 22 32 50 97 Skin among the lowest expense category - Face the most important part?
- 41. Thank You. 41
Editor's Notes
- What does she look like Unlike what one might expect flared trousers or spaghetti straps are totally missing from these groups These women are invariably turned out conservatively. Yet there is some attention is paid to looking good, Even for these women, coming to a group is an outing and they dress accordingly. Some make up is not uncommon.
- Seeing these women in a focus group is a pleasure.. They enjoy meeting others, find something in common with nearly everyone. I often find that while waiting for the group to start they have often dispensed with basic introductions, which might include information about their children, their homes, latest in the city, comments on each other’s saris and so on. These women also enjoy and in fact find it easy to express their opinion. The lower SEC refrain of ‘jo app theek samjhe’ is almost absent. They not only know what their opinion is, but enjoy talking about it. It is becoming easier these days to encourage debates in groups… I think this shows a decline in the need to be pleasing and agreeable, even to strangers. What is important which perhaps makes this segment different from the elite A1+ is that they almost always speak in heir mother tongue. While they understand Anglicised Hindi and sprinkle English words themselves, they cannot fully understand stimulus in English, and they certainly cannot articulate their thoughts. However, knowledge of English continues to be the great Divider. Those who can speak flaunt it and those who cannot become obviously uncomfortable.
- But if we shift our attention to the women… At first glance it appears that after her marriage, her life seems no different from that of her mother’s. Even today she remains a housewife - her husband and children are her biggest concern… her greatest joy being getting a pat on her back for keeping them happy and ensuring their success. But her own childhood was significantly different from her mother. She went to school - higher education no longer being an indulgence; and her choice in the matter usually prevailed. Which meant that her life outside her home was perhaps not very different from her brother’s. Indicating a discontinuity - between the changing pre-marriage expectations of her; and her post-marriage realities. In the next few minutes let’s take a brief look at some of the key fallouts of this discontinuity. Because her priorities do seem to have changed….. And this may reflect in what she is more likely to sanction for her family as well. Why do I say this - because there is an adage which says “it is the man who pays; but the woman who says what to pay for” - not many of you here are likely to disagree with this one I am sure!
- What does being exposed to media actually do to us? It changes our points of reference. In the past, the consumer compared his life with his extended family or neighbours. But today, when he watches tv, he looks at many more people. He can see how they talk and look, what they use in their homes, how they cook and what they eat; and, unlike the actors he saw in the films in the past, the people he sees on the television look perhaps far more ‘real’ - he believes that they do actually exist out there. And through this comparison, he recognizes how different his own life is from others… and more importantly begins to see all that he has been missing. What others like him have but which he himself does not. His appetite is whetted And with increasing financial security, the need to deny himself appears to be shrinking. which means, consumerism is here to stay.
- Across all groups no matter which part of the country… housewives genuinely believe that they are more knowledgeable than their mothers…. Her exposure levels have widened thanks to media; and she is educated enough to glean far more from what is shown to her than her mother could. She knows what it feels like to have a mind; she knows she can think and evaluate - she knows what it feels like to have a point of view….. And not just that - she feels confident of being able to speak her mind…as she once did. Though the fear of rocking the boat continues to loom just as large as it did for her mother. And this feeling of being so much more capable than her mother makes her better equipped to take on the outside world; feeling less intimidated by the new and unknown. Today she is open to change.
- But has she been as well trained to slip into the role of being a housewife. Actually no - because universally we hear stories of how the housewives of today were encouraged by their mothers to concentrate on their studies - instead of focussing on the nitty gritties of domesticity. So while she learnt to roll the chappatis; she never learnt to judge differences in grain; while she knows the ingredients which went in to making the family’s favourite pickle; and she is able to judge accurately when something is not ‘just right’ - she herself never practiced hard enough to feel confident of getting it right - each time; every time. And while on one hand she can quickly learn the new - names of new treatments and medicines, new recipes…. On the other hand, she is beginning to feel she knows less of the traditional practices, skills and solutions which her mother had. So perhaps she needs help. Her mom may have worked harder and knew more - she doesn’t want to duplicate that. But she can’t afford to fall short on the social expectations which don’t seem to have seen much change.
- Even housewives in Vijaywada or Cochin or Burdwan seem to be echoing this sentiment of “I don’t have enough time…” “our life is faster than our mothers”. Yet today she actually ought to be having more time available to her than her mother. She has a smaller family to take care of; she has equipment in her kitchen which cuts down her time - cooker, gas stove and mixers in SEC C; refrigerators, and washing machines as we inch higher on the SEC ladder. And all the housewives validate this. Then why is she feeling so pressured for time? Simply because she is consciously using this time saved to widening her role as a housewife; she is far more involved with her children - she is capable of helping them through their studies, taking responsibility for their academic success, taking them to school….and she can help out her husband in ways her mother never could - assisting him in chores like visiting the bank, even advising him in business (when he allows it!) . And she dreams of being able to transforming her own handicraft or culinary skills into sources of income. Resulting in the emergence of a woman who recognizes the value of her own time and her own worth. But a woman who then gets pressed for time because she needs to squeeze all her housework into fewer hours.
- So not surprisingly housewives today believe that they also have the right to get some “time off”. Mothers apparently had no notion of this - any time left over meant they could do a wee bit more - always to make life a little better for someone else. But today’s housewife knows the difference - of performing duties versus doing what she likes doing. And she has known moments from her past which she enjoyed - time alone; time to read; chit-chatting with friends; or just standing in front of the mirror! Some self indulgence is no longer taboo.
- So on the one hand we know that the consumers of today are going to continue spending. Our learnings from the housewife may begin to give us signals as to what this money is likely to be spent on tomorrow. What do her changing priorities translate into in the marketing world?
- The consumer wants more…and they are no longer resisting the new. Are we then going to see an increasing indulgence in Trying the New. What does this imply for us: loyalty gives way to flirtation. But, perhaps more importantly, will the process of upgradation get redefined - spare money being used to widen the current repertoire (horizontal upgradation) rather than using the extra for buying the more expensive option. Today’s consumer might have a 100 rupees where in the past he had only 70. But with this hundred he wants to buy many more products and experiences. So perhaps the value of vfm continues to dominate - perhaps even more aggressively than in the past. What is likely to help him do this…. smaller packs - they facilitate trial; and reduce the risks. lower MRPs - they may simply cue an opportunity to try the brand - and may increasingly get delinked with suggesting lower quality or demeaned status. and while we are seeing evidences of some of these trends in fmcg’s already; is the world of fast-moving consumer durables too difficult to imagine?
- And as the consumer tries greater variety, they also build experience banks - signals which demonstrate to them how one product is different from another. Where now products are either seen to be similar or better not because we tell them so; but because they have experienced them so. In this context, a brand which delivers sensorial differences may win the march over me-too’s. And sensations which are pleasurable no longer need to be denied; or justified. The pleasure is well deserved and hard won. Could this also mean a greater propensity to judge the book by its cover - where the sensorial of even packaging may prove to be draws - and investing in grabbing the eye at shop shelves may no longer be a marketeer’s indulgence.
- We commonly refer to the personal products category. But how ‘personal’ are soaps, talcum powders and toothpastes. When the reality is that the entire family uses a common one. But perhaps the time for truly personalising may be ripe. Per capita spends have increased; indulging the self is not an aberration; and being sensitive to how products look and feel and smell is becoming important. Does this mean that the way we segment our markets is finally likely to change - can we begin to consider constructing our product lines such that there is some thing for all rather than one thing for all.
- Trial for new may not mean trial for unknown and unfamiliar only. On the one hand, the consumer seems eager to embrace new experiences - this behaviour validates their self perception of being able to cope; of being better off than the previous generation. At the same time, the importance of roots is not ignored or forgotten. Though however, learning the traditional processes may have weakened. Packaging tradition may also gain in respectability and value.
- When time is valued; it stands to reason that efficiency gets valued. anything which facilitates this process is likely to be welcomed. This means that today, convenience products get redefined - time saved being equated with time efficiently used. As long as the end result enhances he users’ productivity without threatening the payoff. In the same vein, purchasing technology may get redefined - from delivering merely on status to enhancing efficiency. A shift which is likely to go a long way to enhance the value of otherwise high cost durables.