Technology is helping women around world the navigate better lives... mostly

Connected technology is giving women around the world new social, emotional and economic powers. Yet this same connected technology is creating key modern challenges for these ‘wired women’.

This was the key finding from a study by MSL group and Dot Complicated research. The study, titled The Social Wisdom of Wired Women around the World highlights how wired women tap the collective intelligence of other women for advice and information and nurture personal relationships in ways that were not possible before. Emotionally, they view themselves as more in control of their lives. Economically, they are empowered by access to a global marketplace and an information-driven shopping experience.

But the study found that women are as likely to value the benefits of the connected technology in their lives as they are to be frustrated by it: less than half the women surveyed believe technology has a positive influence on their family. In her new book, Dot Complicated: Untangling our Wired

Lives, Randi Zuckerberg, founder/CEO of Zuckerberg Media, deftly summarises the complications around technology in women’s lives: “What’s the upside? We’re more connected. What’s the downside? We’re more connected.”

Summarising the research study’s results, Stephanie Agresta, Global Director for Social Media and Digital at MSLgroup said, “When all is said and done, marketers need to recognise that wired women are an emerging economic power force that is shaping new social behaviors at the global and local levels. With relevant communication and engagement that taps their common interests and respects their local differences, marketers can convert this power force into meaningful business.”

Women follow distinct “paths to purchase” in social media that vary by product category and market.

When purchasing goods and services, wired women around the world turn to social and digital media as a source of information at nearly double the rate of traditional media, no matter if the item is purchased on- or offline. Depending on the country and product category, wired women turn to functions like online search, online ratings, videos and photos, online forums and online media, to varying degrees. For example, Brazilian women tend to respect online reviews and online rating services to a greater degree than women in other parts of the world. MSLgroup used the data gleaned from the research study to map predictable Signature Purchase Paths, allowing marketers to better shape the way they influence and support the women at points along these distinct pathways.

Women in China prefer mobile technology to manage key tasks more than women elsewhere.

Ownership of tablets among women surveyed in China is 20% higher than in the other markets combined. An impressive 91% of Chinese women surveyed have smartphones, creating a 21 percentage point gap over all studied markets combined. In China, 68% of wired women prefer their smartphones or tablets to pay bills online. Not so in the rest of the world: Women surveyed in the U.S. (64%), U.K. (60%) and Brazil (53%) prefer their computers instead.

Women feel going online has improved their lives ... mostly.

To Zuckerberg’s point that technology can complicate women’s lives, the survey suggests that wired women are indeed frustrated about the havoc that technology and social media can cause in their lives. Interviewees said the Internet has made it easier for them to access information they need, and that social media gives them a forum where they can seek advice and support without revealing their identities. However, when questioned, only 52% of women agree that technology has made their lives more manageable – meaning 48% do not.

Social media is causing women to draw new lines in their personal lives.

While couples in a relationship share friends and social relationships, they don’t necessarily share passwords. Only 34% of wired women share passwords to an email account with a spouse or a significant other, and even fewer (28%) share social media logins. Additionally, 44% of wired women in Brazil and 42% of wired women in China monitor their child’s online behavior, while only 28% of those in the U.S. and a surprisingly low 18% of women surveyed in the U.K. do the same.

The misuse of technology and social media concerns women around the world.

Nearly a third of the women questioned worldwide say texting while

driving is a major source of frustration or complexity in life today. But cultural differences come into play when it’s a question of using mobile phones at the family dinner table: In Brazil and the UK this is a significant source of frustration for wired women, while in China just one in ten women feel it’s an issue. And, 47% of women in Brazil worry about members of their family posting inappropriate things online while only 15% of women in the U.S. say this frustrates them.

The study, conducted by Toluna on behalf of MSLGROUP, surveyed 3600 women online in Brazil, urban China, the UK and the US (900 in each market) between August and September, 2013. The survey targeted females 1864 who use the Internet for at least two hours per week for personal or leisure activities. The margin of error is +/- 1.6% overall and +/- 3.2% in each market studied. For more information on the The Social Wisdom of Wired Women, visit http://msl.gp/WiredWomen and http://msl.gp/wiredwomeninfo.