opinion
ladies: Globally – We’re Stressed
“challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
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Page 4 The Portland Skanner
S
o ladies, I’m sure if you’re
like me and any of the
women I know personally,
you have been running hither and
yon to keep all of your hats –
home, work, parents, children,
finances, and relationships – in the
air all at once. And sometimes,
you find yourself wondering, “Is it
just me? Am I the only one feeling
like I’m an exotic juggling act in
the three ring circus of life trying
to keep all these things balanced?”
Well, shout hallelujah and signal
the ringmaster to shine the spot-
light on you in the center ring
because the answer is a resounding
No, you are not alone. Nielsen’s
latest comprehensive report
Women of Tomorrow: a Study of
Women around the World con-
firms women around the globe are
feeling pressure like never before
and are stressed!
Nielsen is known for its meas-
urement capabilities and for ana-
lyzing consumer behavior and
trends in media, online, mobile
and more around the globe. We
recently conducted this study
among nearly 6500 women in 21
countries throughout Africa, Asia
Pacific, Europe, Latin America,
and North America, representing
60 percent of the world’s popula-
tion and 78 percent of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). We
included women in both devel-
oped markets – like ours – and
several emerging markets like
India and Nigeria. Some of the key
findings:
Ninety percent of women
believe their role is evolving for
the better from gender equality to
workplace opportunities.
NIElSEN wIrE
Cheryl Pearson-McNeil
Women control 12 trillion dol-
lars in global spending of 18 tril-
lion dollars, but want to share
jointly in life responsibilities and
decision making.
While women are indeed
increasingly empowered, we are
increasingly stressed.
Whoop! There it is! Call your
girlfriends and tell them “Girl, it’s
on food is staggering. In Nigeria,
for example, 40 percent of house-
hold spending is on food, vs. 7
percent in the U.S. So if women in
emerging countries found them-
selves with any additional dollars
it would go toward savings,
clothes and education. While
women in developed countries
like ours are more likely to use
extra cash for luxuries like vaca-
tions, savings and paying off debt.
In conducting this research,
women were divided into three
segments – daughters (average age
Women everywhere around the world
report being pressured for time
official! Women everywhere
around the world report being
pressured for time, rarely have the
time to unwind; feel stressed and
overworked most of the time. And
yes, want just a tad bit of help
from the fellas’ time to time. It is
30), mothers (average age 47) and
grandmothers (average age 67).
The high stress factor is universal,
but it breaks down generationally.
The “daughter” generation is the
most stressed. This stands to rea-
son as this woman’s family is
In Nigeria, 40 percent of household
spending is on food, vs. 7 percent in
the U.S.
NOT just us!”
How we cope with stress varies
between developed and emerging
markets. Our sisters in emerging
countries are often faced with
maintaining every day basics like
food and clothing. The percentage
of their household income spend
young and she has not likely
achieved her full earning potential.
Among “mothers” the stress is
mid-level. Makes sense because
by the average age of 47, income
levels are (usually) higher; but
finances are still cause for con-
cern. Lastly, “grandmothers” are
the least stressed segment.
Perhaps not surprisingly, grand-
mothers are also most likely to
believe that they have successfully
achieved that delicate work-life
balance.
Fellas, I think the most notable
take away from this study for you
is that women would like to share
more male/female responsibilities.
We may be doing it all but would
love to have a little more help
from you. Umm hmm, did you
hear that? Ladies, they may have
missed that point, so if you want to
cut this column out and post it up
on the ‘fridge for those times when
you need a little back up, feel free.
Guys don’t like arguing with you,
let alone taking on women from 21
countries and arguing in multiple
languages! (You should highlight
the multiple languages part).
Consider this ladies: if based on
our global spending power of $12
trillion we were our own country
(and lord knows there are times we
wish we were don’t we?) we’d be
about the size of the United States
(based on GDP). That’s a lot of
power. So, there’s no doubt that
you and I and our sisters across the
globe are agents of change. Can
you imagine how much more
powerful we’d be if we got a little
more support on the home front?
So, when’s the last time you actu-
ally asked for the help you need?
I’m just sayin’.
Cheryl Pearson-Mcneil is sen-
ior vice president of public affairs
and government relations for
nielsen. For more information
and studies go to www.nielsen-
wire.com
lockout? NFl Fans Need To Get Mobilized
A
fter constant attention on
negotiations
in
the
National Football League
and the subsequent lockout [where
the employers refuse to let the
employees work] by the owners,
there has been something close to
silence. Recent court rulings have
permitted the owners to go for-
ward with their lockout, at least
for now. And, the rest of us just sit
back and watch the calendar slow-
ly approach the beginning of the
next season.
The gist of the dispute, as I have
discussed in earlier commentaries,
has been the greed of the owners.
There is really no other way to put
it. They are seeking concessions
from the player, including an
extension of the football season, in
a situation where the owners can-
not demonstrate any economic
need for such givebacks. The only
logical conclusion as to why the
owners have pushed this dispute to
the point of a lockout is so that
they can destroy the union of the
players—the
NFL
Players
Association—and achieve total
dominance over the players and
the sport.
The Players Association, under
its relatively new Executive
Director DeMaurice Smith, has
been doing a great job of fighting
the good fight. In fact, sports writ-
ers and fans have expressed signif-
icant support for the Players and
have, correctly, identified the
greed on the part of the owners as
July 6, 2011
t raNS
a FrIca
Bill
Fletcher Jr.
the major source of this conflict.
Yet the owners see no particular
What the owners seem to be
counting upon is passivity on the
part of the fans. The owners actu-
ally do not care whether the fans
support them or not. What they
are concerned with, however, is
what the fans do. It is for this rea-
son that the fans of football need
to become motivated and active if
we want justice to be won by the
players. Here are a few ideas:
1. There needs to be a highly vis-
ible organization of the fans,
The gist of the dispute, as I have
discussed in earlier commentaries,
has been the greed of the owners
reason
to
back
down.
Conservative court decisions in
their favor, along with a national
something like “We stand with the
Players” or something like that.
This needs to be more than a cou-
Most sports stadiums NOT bring
economic advancement to locales
political climate that promotes the
destruction of labor unions,
encourages their arrogance.
ple of people setting up a website.
There need to be thousands of
active members who sign up to
participate.
2. This organization of fans
needs to ensure that governmental
bodies, particularly municipalities,
that have been considering or
negotiating any deals that concern
new stadiums, put such talks on
hold. Not only do most sports sta-
diums NOT bring economic
advancement to locales, but they
almost always involve major
financial concessions by cities and
counties, that is, by the taxpayers.
Let’s temper the greed of the own-
ers by putting a freeze on further
talks for the moment.
3. Few fans, except the most
tried and true, have any idea who
the actual owners are. So, let’s go
visit them and introduce our-
selves. Let’s have large delega-
tions of fans show up at the offices
of the owners and make clear, non-
violently, our concern about their
greed. Perhaps we should have
massive vigils to pray for the souls
of the owners.
This is a start. It is not a com-
plete list but it is enough to get us
running. Time to get away from
the television and the sports bars
and into the streets. Let’s get the
voices of the fans heard and put
the owners on the hot seats.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior
Scholar with the institute for
Policy Studies, the immediate past
president of transafrica Forum,
and the co-author of Solidarity
Divided.