Meet the 73 million and counting women who are challenging the norms of marriage and opting to stay single. They are well-educated and empowered – yet no brand is currently speaking to them.

1. GIRL UNINTERRUPTED
The story of single women in India

2. THE SOUND 2
SOUND MEDIA
“A MAN WITHOUT
A WOMAN IS ONLY
HALF A MAN”
“…AND A
WOMAN WITHOUT
A MAN IS?”
Indian proverb The Sound
WHO ARE THEY?

3. THE SOUND 3
WHO ARE THEY?
SOUND MEDIA
Indian society is largely patrilocal and places a high premium on the
traditional roles of wife, mother and daughter
MISOGYNY IS A DEFINING FEATURE
OF WOMEN’S LIVES AND
RELATIONSHIP NORMS
‣ Religious
stories,
cultural
myths
and
the
media
are
filled
with
narra6ves
of
the
ideal
wife
and
mother
‣ Women
are
expected
to
marry
once
they
come
of
age
and
serve
their
husband
and
in-­‐laws
‣ Women
are
expected
to
marry
once
they
complete
their
educa6on
–
some6mes
even
before,
and
their
extended
social
circle
places
pressure
to
ensure
this
‣ ‘Marry
by
age’
means
that
girls
should
get
married
when
they
are
between
18
and
24
‣ As
women
climb
the
educa6onal
ladder,
the
gender
ra6o
decreases
and
carries
forward
into
lower
representa6on
of
women
in
professions
“In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is
dead, to her sons; a woman must never be independent.”– Manu Smriti, Hindu sacred texts

4. THE SOUND 4
SOUND MEDIA
BUT THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BLOWING,
AND MORE WOMEN ARE PUTTING OFF
TRADITIONAL ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS

5. THE SOUND 5
HOW MANY ARE THEY?
SOUND MEDIA
Single women in India make up a sizeable cohort and the numbers speak to
this quick change
MANY ARE CHOOSING TO GO IT ALONE
‣ 21%
(73
million)
of
India’s
women
above
the
age
of
20
are
now
single
‣ Their
numbers
grew
40%
between
2001
and
2011
according
to
census
data
‣ An
incredible
66%
growth
rate
in
the
number
of
singles
in
the
20-­‐29yo
age
bracket
in
the
past
few
years
Staying
single
is
s,ll
easier
for
the
privileged,
making
single
women
a
lucra,ve
cons,tuency
as
consumers
These
numbers
are
making
brands,
businesses
and
popular
media
sit
up
and
no,ce,
and
as
a
consequence
the
conversa,on
is
moving
forward
‘There was a time when single women were pitied. Then TV shows like Sex and the City made it cool
and desirable. Now people have moved on to serious issues associated with singlehood, like security of
women, and surrogacy’
– Advaita Kala, author of Almost Single, screenwriter of Kahaani, and single

6. THE SOUND 6
HOW MANY ARE THEY?
SOUND MEDIA
Single women have been gaining ground across Asia, and India is set to
overtake its neighbours on this front
…AND THIS ISN'T IN ISOLATION
The
surge
of
single
women
isn't
limited
to
India
–
the
world
is
following
a
progression
seen
across
Asia,
due
to
a
number
of
factors:
‣ Women
have
increasing
access
to
educa6on,
and
subsequently,
par6cipa6on
in
the
workforce
‣ Employment
migra6on
results
in
women
living
independent
from
family
and
societal
constraints
‣ Professional
women
don’t
want
to
get
married
and
take
on
mul6ple
familial
du6es
at
the
expense
of
their
career
‣ Women
across
Asia
tradi6onally
'marry
up’;
diminishing
the
available
op6ons
for
the
best
qualified/employed
women.
Men
on
the
other
hand
are
used
to
marrying
down
and
find
rela6onships
with
educated
and
independent
women
challenging

7. THE SOUND 7
SOUND MEDIA
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A SINGLE WOMAN
IN INDIA?

8. THE SOUND 8
WHAT DEFINES THEM?
SOUND MEDIA
THEY ARE EMPOWERED AND DEFIANT BUT OFTEN ASSAILED BY DOUBTS:
THEIR OWN AND THOSE OF SOCIETY
Norms
Single
Women’s
Uncertainty
Autonomy & Independence

9. THE SOUND 9
SOUND MEDIA
“I MAKE MY OWN CHOICES, BUT THE
WORLD KEEPS QUESTIONING THEM”
They’re traversing uncharted territory, boldly breaking new ground but
everyone around them looks at them with suspicion
‣ They
are
oYen
viewed
as
an
anomaly,
an
iconoclast,
or
worse
–
a
leY-­‐over
‣ It
is
frustra6ng
but
these
challenges
inspire
resilience:
they
are
proud
to
be
single
‣ The
economic
reasons
for
marriage
don’t
apply
like
they
did
for
previous
genera6ons
‣ They
haven’t
ruled
out
marriage
en6rely
but
know
that
they
can
do
be[er
than
the
choices
presented
to
them
HER AUTONOMYNORM
Everyone
gets
married Why
should
I
live
my
life
like
everyone
else?
Marriage
is
about
adjus6ng Why
should
I
compromise
my
career?
Single
income
is
not
enough
these
days
Why
should
I
get
someone
to
pay
for
me?
Be[er
to
have
kids
when
young Why
not
have
them
when
I
will
feel
like
it?
VS
WHAT DEFINES THEM?

10. THE SOUND 10
SOUND MEDIA
“I'M HAPPY TO BE INDEPENDENT, BUT I
DON’T KNOW WHAT LIES AHEAD”
They are free to do whatever they want but when they seek role models and
support systems there is no one to turn to
HER UNCERTAINTYHER INDEPENDENCE
I
have
lots
of
me
6me Do
I
go
travel
with
my
married
friends?
I
don’t
need
to
think
about
kids’
educa6on! Who
will
inherit
all
my
wealth?
I
can
focus
on
my
career Will
my
job
replace
rela6onships?
I
have
a
good
network
of
friends Who
will
be
there
for
me
when
I
am
old?
VS
WHAT DEFINES THEM?
‣ Life
is
geared
towards
family
as
a
default
secng
-­‐
right
from
food
por6ons
to
property
rentals
to
raising
children
‣ It
can
be
hard
to
connect
with
other
single
women
for
inspira6on
or
advice
‣ Socializing
with
women
living
a
similar
life
and
facing
similar
problems
is
important
but
not
many
friends
stay
single
‣ Being
free
from
the
expecta6ons
of
partners
or
in-­‐laws
lets
them
focus
on
pursuing
passions,
careers,
travel,
and
leisure

11. THE SOUND 11
SOUND MEDIA
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

12. THE SOUND 12
SOUND MEDIA
Single women need to feel recognized, understood, and accepted as
part of the norm
EARN THEIR TRUST BY NORMALIZING
THEIR EXPERIENCE
To
beBer
represent
an
evolving
society
and
earn
trust
for
suppor,ng
progressive
values,
brands
will
have
to:
1) Ac6vely
break
taboos
which
hold
the
majority
back
2) Help
normalize
groups
that
are
redefining
the
status
quo
by
portraying
them
as
an
unremarkable
part
of
everyday
life
We’re
s6ll
some
way
off
from
step
1,
let
alone
step
2
“The SKII campaign features women who’ve chosen to pursue their dreams instead of being
pressured into marrying for the sake of it. It’s helped increase sales of SK-II in China more than
50 percent over the past nine months”
- Markus Strobel, global president of SK-II
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BRAND?

13. THE SOUND 13
SOUND MEDIA
INCLUDE THEM IN WHAT YOU SAY
AND DO
Single women aren’t just numerous, they also have more time and
money to spend
More
and
more
progressive
businesses
are
targe,ng
single
women.
‣ Fringe
travel
companies
like
Girls
on
the
Go,
WOW
Club,
India
Untravelled,
and
Beyond,
who
cater
to
solo
women
travellers,
are
on
the
up6ck
‣ Ladies
nights
in
bars
in
progressive
ci6es
are
becoming
increasingly
popular
and
bars
are
pucng
in
place
measures
like
female
bouncers
and
women-­‐only
sec6ons
for
the
security
of
their
patrons
‣ Da6ng
apps
like
Truly
Madly,
Floh
and
Tinder
report
rapidly
rising
numbers
of
women
users
Popular
culture
is
depic,ng
female
agency
and
independence
in
a
whole
new
light
‣ New
Indian
cinema
and
web
series
like
Queen,
Kahaani,
Margherita
with
a
Straw,
Ladies
Room,
are
widely
watched
and
talked
about
‣ Books
on
the
single
life
are
increasingly
gracing
bookshelves
–
compelling
even
Chetan
Bhagat
to
write
One
Indian
Girl
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BRAND?

14. THE SOUND 14
SOUND MEDIA
INDIAN WOMEN ARE CHOOSING HOW TO BE… SO SHOULD YOU!
THE EXPERIMENTERS
Some
watch
and
jewellery
brands
like
Tanishq
have
begun
talking
to
single
women
but
don’t
want
to
scare
away
their
larger
market
THE CONVENTIONALS
Many
FMCG,
appliances
and
telecom
companies
who
ac6vely
speak
to
women
s6ll
showcase
her
within
the
tradi6onal
roles
of
mother,
wife,
and
moorless-­‐without-­‐her-­‐man
THE BLIND
Finance,
automobiles,
and
real
estate
companies
who’ve
tradi6onally
wooed
men,
don’t
yet
see
the
opportunity
of
this
growing
cohort.
Women
aren’t
a
part
of
their
messaging,
except
to
smile
and
support
the
provider
of
the
house!
This is uncharted territory for most brands, so doing it the right way has not been established yet
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BRAND?

15. V A N C O U V E R | N E W Y O R K | L O N D O N | T O R O N T O | C H I C A G O | M U M B A I
W W W. T H E S O U N D H Q . C O M
Would you like more of this kind of thinking? Or perhaps you just want someone for a coffee and a chat.
Aili Seghetti - aili@thesoundhq.com
Aasish Francis - aasish@thesoundhq.com

16. THE SOUND 16
SOUND MEDIA
RESOURCES
COVER h[ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-­‐LLOgv1Olg
SLIDE 2 h[ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-­‐LLOgv1Olg
SLIDE 3 h[ps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/here-­‐are-­‐all-­‐the-­‐stunning-­‐images-­‐of-­‐women-­‐that-­‐atlas-­‐of-­‐beau?utm_term=.wbJMNmzX6#.txMPpWqnb
SLIDE 4 h[ps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/here-­‐are-­‐all-­‐the-­‐stunning-­‐images-­‐of-­‐women-­‐that-­‐atlas-­‐of-­‐beau?utm_term=.wbJMNmzX6#.txMPpWqnb
SLIDE 5 h[p://wallpaper-­‐gallery.net/images/indian-­‐wallpaper-­‐free-­‐download/indian-­‐wallpaper-­‐free-­‐download-­‐16.jpg
SLIDE 6 h[p://uclickvframe.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2016/01/woman-­‐beauty-­‐atlas-­‐mihaela-­‐noroc-­‐191__880.jpg
SLIDE 7 h[ps://s-­‐media-­‐cache-­‐ak0.pinimg.com/originals/60/09/1f/60091f50395322d16cf2466f78cb1c9f.jpg
SLIDE 8 h[ps://aamjanata.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2011/11/Shy_smile_of_a_bride_in_a_Hindu_wedding.jpg
SLIDE 8 h[ps://femicaresurgery.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2016/01/fcsc-­‐gyn-­‐services.jpg
SLIDE 9 h[p://blog.ut.ee/wp-­‐content/uploads/2017/04/Garry-­‐Knight.jpg
SLIDE 10 h[p://i.huffpost.com/gen/1665107/images/o-­‐WOMAN-­‐BLINDFOLDED-­‐facebook.jpg
SLIDE 11 h[ps://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-­‐sta6c/sta6c/2016-­‐03/15/2/enhanced/webdr14/original-­‐18653-­‐1458023990-­‐7.jpg?no-­‐auto
SLIDE 12 h[p://southasiajournal.net/wp-­‐content/uploads/2014/11/Indian_woman_smiles.jpg
SLIDE 13 h[ps://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/henna.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1600
SLIDE 14 h[ps://www.youtube.com/user/TanishqJewellery
SLIDE 14 h[ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9BlI9nhqTE
SLIDE 14 h[p://adsoYheworld.com/media/print/volkswagen_ravan