DDB Life Style Study® Reveals "Women Have Balls"

NEW YORK, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- International Women's Day (IWD) today is the ideal time to discuss a recent DDB Life Style Study®, which shed new light on what it's like to be a woman today and reveals that women are becoming increasingly assertive and ambitious. Modern women aren't afraid to speak their minds, and believe that hard work will make it possible to reach the top of their chosen profession. International Women's Day was instituted during the early 1900's amidst a zeitgeist of radical change and vast expansion and is currently observed in countries around the world.

Women have "balls."
A majority of women say they wouldn't hesitate to disagree with somebody, even if they think it will create an uncomfortable situation.  And the younger they are, the greater the assertiveness: Women 18-34 are more likely to feel this way than women 55+ (55% versus 48%). Gender stereotypes are evolving and women need not fear the repercussions and labels that could come with assertive behavior. On the contrary, they must be self-confident in order to forge their future because they know that when you have the courage of conviction, the sky's the limit.

There is no perception of a glass ceiling.
Many feel that there aren't enough women in boardrooms today and, similarly, that women are under-represented at all levels of government. But, we shouldn't expect this situation to continue. When asked whether or not their hard work will make it possible for them to advance to the top of their chosen profession, Millennial women respond with a resounding yes (66% of 18-34 year-olds). They are much more likely than other generations to feel this way, as this agreement rate drops to 54% among Gen-Xers (women ages 35-44). Sure, we could chalk that difference up to the optimism of youth. It's also possible that by delaying marriage and children, millennial women haven't yet been confronted with some of the hard decisions Gen-Xers have already had to face as they climbed the corporate ladder. However, whether or not reaching the top through hard work remains their end goal, they at least believe it to be possible.

Women would rather be rich than thin.
Assume there exists a zero-sum world where you can't have everything. Which would you rather be: rich but not thin, or thin but not rich? For a majority of women today (53%), the answer is "rich but not thin." This could simply be a manifestation of the post-recession woman yearning for financial stability. Then again, it could signal a deeper cultural shift to a world where appearance takes a back seat to success. Either way – diet, beauty and fashion industries, take note.

The DDB's Lifestyle Study® is the nation's largest and longest-running annual consumer survey. The survey was fielded in the fall of 2011 with 7,608 consumers nationwide.

About DDB

DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc (www.ddb.com) ranks among the top five consolidated advertising and marketing services global networks, according to Advertising Age. DDB emphasizes Social Creativity to grow the value and influence of brands around the world by creating ideas that people want to play with, participate in and pass along. The agency is consistently one of the most awarded at the Cannes Festival of Creativity and was recognized by The Gunn Report as one of the Top 3 Global Networks for 10 of the last 12 years. DDB was also recently named the Spikes Asia Network of the Year for the second consecutive year and the Eurobest Network of the Year for the third consecutive year. DDB Worldwide is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC) and consists of more than 200 offices in over 90 countries.

Contact:

Jeff Swystun: 212-415-2186
Elena Weinstein: 212-415-2191

SOURCE DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc.