Good Housekeeping UK says the new research – backed by a study of 2,951 women aged between 18 and 80+ – reveals the way attitudes towards money and security, sex and relationships, body image, motherhood, feminism, activism and more have evolved over the last 50 years. And the results reveal that Boomers, Gen Z and everyone in between have more in common than not, from their anxieties to their ambitions.
Over 90% of respondents in the research agreed that “there’s much we can learn from other generations, but we don’t often take the time to listen to them” and 82% agree that “across the generations there is more that unites us than sets us apart”. The Gentelligence Project seeks to address that, by listening to and learning from women of all ages.
Good Housekeeping says, comprising investigative journalism, proprietary research, interactive events, and partnerships with pioneering brands, the project is a year-long campaign which seeks to crowdsource the wisdom of its unique intergenerational audience to develop new answers to old questions, revealing the hopes, fears, concerns and goals of every woman in the UK today. It aims to unearth how women of all ages can work together to build a better future for all generations.
Nine out of ten women – regardless of age – still have a negative relationship with the way they look. Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and the Silent Generation all opt for “Lose weight” as their top life goal for the next five years.
All generations agree that having good friends is far more important than having children, and that having a great sex life (while important) is not a prerequisite to being happy. Likewise, that being faithful is the most important factor in successful long-term relationships, and the fact that sex is easier to talk about than a decade ago is as true for Boomers and the Silent Generation as it is for younger women. All generations are concerned about their future financial freedom, and likewise, the NHS and the cost of living are the top two concerns for the country across the generations. Women of all ages are equally focused on tackling climate change, and all age cohorts chose kindness as the quality they most admire in other women.
Jane Bruton, editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping UK, said: “Good Housekeeping serves women across the full gamut of British society because women aren’t and never have been defined by the year they were born. Much has changed for British women in the 103 years since Good Housekeeping UK was born. Everyone now knows ‘house, husband, kids’ isn’t the triple-tested recipe for female fulfilment. Nor is ‘big job, Birkin bag, buff boyfriend’. These changes are shaped by Good Housekeeping’s amazing intergenerational audience. GH passes learnings, advice and new ideas and down the generations just like women do with their own friends and family.”
Good Housekeeping says on 11th February, at a live, interactive event at its UK’sheadquarters in London, author, broadcaster and podcaster, Bryony Gordon and beauty journalist and author, Anita Bhagwandas, will discuss the research findings about body image with GH journalists and VIP members. In March, the focus is motherhood, and in April the project attention turns to female friendship.
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
