The Future is FeMale

INDONESIAʼS PERSPECTIVE
PROSUMER REPORT
OCTOBER
2017

ABOUT THE STUDY
WHO ARE PROSUMERS?
Prosumers are today’s leading influencers and
market drivers. They’ve been a focus of Havas
studies for more than a decade. Beyond their
own economic impact, Prosumers are important
because they influence the brand choices and
consumption behaviors of others. What
Prosumers are doing today, mainstream
consumers will likely be doing 6 to 18 months
later. Learn more at mag.havas.com/
prosumer-reports/.
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil,
Cambodia, Canada, China, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, France,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy,
Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar,
the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland,
Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
Singapore, South Africa, Spain,
the United Arab Emirates,
the United Kingdom,
and the United States.
In March/April 2017, Havas conducted a
survey amongst 12,168 men and women,
ages 18+ in 32 markets:
The Future is FeMale - 01

45%
30%
44%
36%
44%
20%
28%
34%
LAGGARDS OR LEADERS?
More than 260 million people live in Indonesia, which
consists of hundreds of distinct ethnic and linguistic
groups, the Javanese are the largest among them.
There are 6 major religions of which 87.2% of the
population is Muslim.
With this diversity comes many views about feminism.
In most parts of the world, women have made great
strides in education and earning power, but inequalities
persist, despite a spate of studies that show that
advancement of women is critical to the success of
nations and businesses alike.
Compared to the general global view it seems that
Indonesian men can not fully accept if women are in
charge to change the world. However, this does not
mean that Indonesian men think that women have no
role. In the Minang society, for example, women rule
the domestic realm and it is the women who select
men to take political and spiritual leadership roles.
IN THE FUTURE, IT WILL BE WOMEN
WHO WILL LEAD CHANGE IN THE WORLD
GLOBAL INDONESIA
FEMALES
MALES
PROSUMERS
MAINSTREAM
FEMALES
MALES
PROSUMERS
MAINSTREAM
- - Havas prosumer research 2017

SO, WHICH IS IT? In this report, we share 9 broad insights and compare the
global to the Indonesian perspective:Are women the subordinate sex, or are they the
face of the future?
We undertook this study to find out how much
has changed in society’s attitude towards gender
and gender equality.
#1 The “F” Word
#2
Nevertheless,
Misogyny Persisted
“Equality” May Not
Be What People Seek
#3
Women Have Rights,
But No Real Power
#4
#6
Relationship Status:
Flexible
#7
A Traditional View
Of Gender
#8
Boys Don’t Cry, But Girls
Can Be Alpha Males
#9 Advertising Is On Track
Babies Over
Boardroom
#5

INSIGHT #1
THE
WORD
“Feminist” has become a loaded term, meaning pretty much whatever the user desires. And we
see some stark diﬀerences between how feminism is seen globally and what Indonesians think.
Though both Indonesian women and men are self-proclaimed feminists - much higher compared
to the global score, so too was the thought that feminism has done more harm than good.
According to Wikipedia feminism is a “range of political movements, ideologies, and social
movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic,
personal, and social equality of sexes. This includes seeking to establish educational and
professional opportunities for women that are equal to such opportunities for men”– quite
a common view, but it seems the Indonesian view is a bit diﬀerent.
MALES
FEMALES
PROSUMERS
MAINSTREAM
I am a feminist
GLOBAL INDONESIA
45%31%
25%17%
30%30%
38%23%

91 84
75 63
23 33 41 41
42 34 37 28
Women and men who do the same
job should be paid the same (%)Feminism has done more harm than good (%)
Female Male
Indonesians support the idea of equality in opportunities for both sexes but firmly
believes in the divide in which women are responsible for household duties and
men for providing income. This may explain why Indonesians score less than the
global average on agreeing that men and women working the same job should
receive equal pay, out of the belief that men are obliged to work to provide for
their family thus should receive higher pay than women who work out of choice.
GLOBAL INDONESIAGLOBAL INDONESIA
Agree
Disagree
Female Male

23%
23%
40%
36%
39%
40%
40%
28%
GLOBAL 23%
INDONESIA 38%
GLOBAL 34%
INDONESIA 39%
Women emancipation has
caused men to fall behind
I’m seeing a lot more anger
toward women these days
We can see an indication that there are still men who cannot fully
accept the idea of women’s emancipation since it might potentially
cause men to fall behind. Although a third of our global sample says
that they are seeing a lot more anger towards women nowadays, the
number is even higher in Indonesia. It’s actually diﬀicult to quantify
the increase of misogyny, but we can conclude that the fight very
much continues.
INSIGHT #2
NEVERTHELESS,
MISOGYNY PERSISTED
Female Male - - Havas prosumer research 2017 Female Male - - Havas prosumer research 2017

Paes Ageng
Traditional bridal make-up and attire
from Jogjakarta that carries very profound
philosophical meaning and messages.
In Java, there still is a sense of men not wanting to
let go of their position as the head of the household.
This gives them the privilege to make every decision
in the household, including whether or not the wife
may work. Older Javanese culture actually
encourages on limiting women to focus solely on
household duties.
The duty and responsibilities of women for her
household is reminded through numerous physical
symbols on their wedding day. Javanese brides carry
and present these symbols through their make-up
and attire which contains important messages,
blessings, and even guidance on marriage, so they
have a lot more in their hands than just to look
beautiful. They carry a very clear message on their
special day: once married, women are obliged to
focus on her household and children upbringing,
whilst being obedient and loyal to her husband
throughout her lifetime.
Sigar Menjangan
Eyebrows shaped like deer’s antlers symbolize how the
wife should be quick and agile in doing housework but
should also appear elegant and sociable, like a deer.
Citak
Symbolizes the wife’s focus towards her husband.
Sumping
Made of bitter papaya leaves to symbolize the wife’s
willingness to run a household even in ‘bitter’ situations.
Kelat Bahu
The dragon-shaped bracelet worn on the upper
arm symbolize a strong and resilient wife in
running a household.
Buntal
Croton leaves taken from a family graveyard symbolize
how the bride and groom seek for blessings from
their ancestors.
Semen Rama
A batik pattern to wish the couple a happy and
prosperous marriage and to be able to solve any
problems in the household, just like Prabu Rama
and Shinta in Ramayana.
Kingin Kurung
Batik wrapped tightly around the legs but puﬀed on
the sides to represent how the wife should always
obey her husband, including if he restricts her from
leaving the house.

Do you believe the sexes are completely equal?
If you do, you’re in the minority. Only around a third of
men and a quarter of women surveyed agreed the sexes
are equal. Why is that? Is it more a question of women
vs. society or women vs. themselves? Almost 95% of the
respondents in Indonesia believe that women haven’t
achieved equality because they don’t really want it.
INSIGHT #3
“EQUALITY”MAY NOT BE
WHAT PEOPLE SEEK

26% 28% 27%
22%
17%
45% 42%
91% 91%
35%
3% 5%
GLOBAL INDONESIA GLOBAL INDONESIA GLOBAL INDONESIA
There is no more gender equality,
we are all treated as equals
Gender inequality isn’t the fault
of men, it’s the fault of women who
don’t really want full equality
True gender equality will never exist
because the genders are not equal
That raises the question of what equality actually means. Is it purely about rights? Access to material
success and political power? In Indonesia, women can speak out their mind, they can vote and even
had a female president. But Indonesians believe that gender roles remain diﬀerent. Despite accepting
equal opportunities, we still find it hard to see women as equal to men.
Female Male

56 64 46 21
41 61 34 9
13
54 77 45
INSIGHT #4
Today, women have rights but
no real power (%)
The world would be a better place
if more women were in positions
of power (%)
FEMALE
MALE
PROSUMER
Both men and women in Indonesia agree that women have rights but lack the real power.
Again this may be attributed to the Indonesian culture in which most women let men make
the decisions in terms of family finance, welfare and future, while women make most of the
decisions at home for family and household aﬀairs.
Global Indonesia
- - Havas prosumer research 2017 - - Havas prosumer research 2017

GLOBAL INDONESIA
Being a successful parent is
more important than having
a successful career (%)
I leave most of childcare
to my spouse / partner (%) Total 24 Total 29
I sometimes use work as an
excuse to not spend time
with my child(ren) (%)
Parenting comes more naturally
to women than men (%)
Parents only:
13
35
12
51
54 55
Total 19 Total 16
15 23
3 16
75 77
72 73
91 81
Most women and men consider successful
parenting as more important than having a
successful career. For now, parenting work falls
more heavily on women than men especially in
Indonesia. Twice the number of men in Indonesia
leaves most of the childcare responsibilities to
their spouses compared to global, yet they still
feel guilty whenever they leave their children for
work or do not have time to play with them.
INSIGHT #5
BABIES OVER
BOARDROOMS

According to the Roy Morgan survey (Wave 2, 2017),
the percentage of women employed is 31% from all
women aged 18+; this is half the number of men
which is 68% of all men aged 18+
Indonesians clearly still hold on to conservative
roles when it comes to child nurturing; it is the
female’s domain. 90% of Indonesian women agree
that child nurturing is nobler than pursuing one’s
career. Though many women do work outside the
home, they feel guilty for leaving their child(ren) at
home, unable to play with them, missing important
moments in their child(ren) development stage and
not being able to help them do their homework.
GLOBAL INDONESIA
I leave my child(ren)
to go to work (%)
I do not have enough time
to play with my child(ren) (%)
I miss a lot of my child(ren)’s
life events (%)
I do not have time to help
my child(ren) with homework (%)
I feed my child(ren)
processed foods (%)
Parents only:
I feel guilty that...
29 27
45 44
42
51 53 44
29 32 48 53
23
32
63
42
27 21 28 18

Male-female relationships work better
when the man is the dominant partner (%)
Relationships work better when the man
earns more than his female partner (%)
Relationships work better when
chores are divided according to
traditional gender roles* (%)
GLOBAL
INDONESIA
While only 28% of our global sample says that relationships work better when the man earns more
than his female partner, there is again a cultural slant in a few countries including Indonesia.
In Indonesia’s cultural context, men are expected to be more dominant than women. In general,
it is believed that relationships work better if each gender plays their roles conservatively and if
men earn more than their partners.
RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
INSIGHT #6
24 31
77 84
GLOBAL
INDONESIA
26 30
63
GLOBAL
INDONESIA
33 41
60 51
71

Men should initiate romantic relationships
When a man and woman are dating, the man
should pay for all or most of the expenses
When a man and woman are dating, they
should split the expenses equally
When a man and woman are dating, the
expenses should be divided according to
how much each person earns/ can aﬀord
Financially speaking, men will feel that they fulfill
their role if they earn more than their partners,
and women are more satisfied as she’s been
well-provided.
When it comes to romantic relationships, both
Indonesian men and women agree that men
should initiate first, as women will be considered
aggressive if they were to make the first move.
Even when dating, in Indonesia men should
always pay the bills.
Which comes closer to your point of view?
7836
37
7831 87
032
78
Global Indonesia - - Havas prosumer research 2017

Which do you think would be most likely
to cause a married couple to get a divorce?
Unsatisfying sexual life
Conflicting approaches
to spending/ saving/
money management
Lack of money
Conflicting parenting
approaches
Different religious beliefs
Conflicting political
values and beliefs
The woman earning more
money than the man
When asked to rank 7 given reasons which are
most likely to cause a married couples to get a
divorce, Indonesians rank the reasons quite
differently than the global audience. While
global average ranks unsatisfying sexual life as
the highest cause, Indonesians place financial
problems in this position. As men are seen as
the main provider for the household, when the
wife earns more than the husband then it may
become an issue.
GLOBAL INDONESIA
60%
48%
46%
35%
18%
15%
12%
Lack of money
Different religious beliefs
Unsatisfying sexual life
The woman earning more
money than the man
Conflicting parenting
approaches
Conflicting approaches
to spending/ saving/
money management
Conflicting political
values and beliefs
70%
49%
44%
43%
26%
15%
10%

I do not believe in set genders, gender is fluid,
and everyone can be what they feel they are
Almost half of global respondents do not see any
problem with raising kids beyond their gender, which
indicates that acceptance of gender fluidity is likely to
grow. However, this is not the case in Indonesia where
traditional gender norms are held.
INSIGHT #7 GLOBAL INDONESIA
FEMALES 52%
44%
55%
46%
0%
0%
0%
0%
MALES
PROSUMERS
MAINSTREAM
FEMALES
MALES
PROSUMERS
MAINSTREAM

I worry that boys are becoming
less masculine
GLOBAL
I worry that girls are becoming
less feminine
When it comes to raising children, a full 100%
Indonesian respondents hold on to the conservative
stereotype in which every child should be raised
accordingly to traditional gender norms. Boys should
be masculine, girls should be feminine. No Indonesian
respondent believe that gender is fluid and no one
can be what they are just because the feel that way.
We can see from the early stages of children’s lives
that parents raise them based on traditional gender
norms, i.e. color scheme, clothes, playing activities.
It will be almost impossible to raise children in a
gender-neutral way as Indonesians worry significantly
more if boys become less masculine and girls become
less feminine. This is more evident in the Javanese
culture which makes up around 60% of Indonesia’s
population.
34%
INDONESIAN INDONESIAN
97% 95%
GLOBAL
41%

A man should be masculine
It has been more socially acceptable for little
girls to play with trucks than for little boys
to play with dolls for long already. Clearly,
Indonesia’s society is pretty conservative
when it comes to gender; men should be
masculine and women should be feminine,
while global respondents are more neutral.
BOYS DONʼT CRY,
BUT GIRLS CAN BE
ALPHA MALES
INSIGHT #8
GLOBAL INDONESIA
Females
Males
Millenials
Gen Xers
Boomers
A woman should be feminine
Females
Males
Millenials
Gen Xers
Boomers
59%
67%
59%
66%
65%
52%
65%
53%
61%
64%
100%
96%
98%
96%
100%
93%
91%
90%
92%
94%

There is a particular insight about gender stereotyping here focusing on men. Women are free to wear jeans
and sneakers, but woe to the man who wears makeup or devote to personal grooming. A woman can express
her femininity in many ways that does not necessarily entail wearing makeup, skirts and heels. While women
are seen more liberated from stereotypical feminine images, men are still stuck in rigid masculine imagery.
A woman who does not wear
high heels is not feminine enough
A woman who does not wear
makeup is not feminine enough
A man who wears makeup
is not masculine enough
A man who devotes a lot of care to
personal grooming (e.g., shaped eyebrows,
spa facials) is not masculine enough
GLOBAL INDONESIA
10%
14%
47%
31%
13%
23%
93%
97%

Attitudes toward gender may be changing,
but brand communications are lagging
behind because more than half of prosumers
and 44% mainstream respondents globally
complain that TV commercials show too many
outdated gender stereotypes. However in
Indonesia, respondents do not see any problem
with these stereotypes, indicating that current
Indonesian commercials represent conservative
gender stereotypes, which are in line with
Indonesian perspective.
TV Commercials show too many
outdated gender stereotypes (%)
I resent the way women are depicted
in a lot of advertising (%)
INSIGHT #9
ADVERTISING
IS ON TRACK
GLOBAL INDONESIA
48 44 39 33
49 38
21 20
I resent the way men are depicted
in a lot of advertising (%)
I enjoy watching advertising that
shows semi-naked men (%)
17
10
23 21
12
21
I enjoy watching advertising that
shows semi-naked women (%) 9
38
7
16
31 31
Female Male- - Havas prosumer research 2017

Most men and women globally and in Indonesia believe that women
deserve to have equal rights and opportunities as men. They are also
supportive of the advances in the fulfillment of most of women’s needs
such as career and education. However, despite these similar perceptions,
there is a significant difference in viewing the role of each gender in
Indonesia and globally.
Indonesians hold closely traditional views of gender and the roles,
which is more conservative and almost black and white. For example,
the Female or “wanita” in Bahasa Indonesia is the abbreviation of “wani
ditata” (the obedience to be arranged and controlled), has then led the
obedient and passive attitude amongst women in Indonesia, while on the
other hand, the Male is expected to demonstrate dominance, power and
control over the female. Whereas globally, the view is more fluid and
flexible despite some persisting stereotypes. This difference is likely to be
caused by the deep-rooted eastern culture in Indonesia.
There is a strong urge in Indonesian (especially Javanese) culture to not
disrupt the harmony within the household i.e. men being the leader and
women listening to them. However this does not mean that women are
forever subjugated; women are actually allowed to have influence – as
long as it is not obvious to others. This is her invisible power in the public
domain into getting her own way i.e. through her man.
Even though gender stereotyping still exists globally, the extent to which
this impacts women’s position in society appears to be less. The pressure
for Indonesian women to put family above their career is much higher, as
Indonesians have higher expectations for women to have nurturing and
domestic roles rather than an excellent career.
This more polarized view of gender in Indonesia also creates a different
opinion towards communication, particularly in advertising. While
advertising appears to be outdated in portraying gender stereotypes
globally, the same way of communication in Indonesia seems to be more
acceptable. So Indonesian advertisers are on the right track and can
continue on portraying gender the way it is.
CONCLUSION

Menara Sentraya, Lt.11, Jl. Iskandarsyah Raya No.1A
Jakarta 12160, Indonesia | +62 21 27 882 441

The Future is FeMale

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Similar a The Future is FeMale

Similar a The Future is FeMale (20)

Último

Último (20)

The Future is FeMale