Global Market Surferby INTAGE Inc

What do you want to be in five years? An international comparison of the values of working women in Asia

The Internet has narrowed the global information gap and is changing lifestyles and business styles worldwide. At the same time, each country has its own cultural and social background that cannot be separated from the others. What kind of lifestyles and business styles are ideal for people living in each country?

Intage conducted a survey of working women in their twenties and thirties in Japan, Indonesia, and India under the theme of "What Working Women Around the World Want to Be Five Years from Now.
In addition, Intage's unique research and emergence program, DeSign Research, was used to create a "mind discovery map" of the future in the minds of these women. In addition, Intage's unique research and emergence program, (DeSign Research) [], visualizes the future in their consciousness as a "Mind Discovery Map.
For more information on "DeSign Research", please refer to "What is research for idea development that reveals the hidden needs of consumers?".

The following are the thoughts of working women in each country about the future, which were derived by reading the Mind Discovery Map at a workshop of Intage's unique research and discovery program, the DeSign Research Program (Global Discovery Edition), and based on the knowledge of Intage's expatriates in each country. Let's take a look at what working women in each country have in mind for the future.

How do working women's "ideal selves" differ by country?

First, let's look at the distinctive values of each country.

Japan: "Be yourself, don't overdo it."

Figure 1 shows a "Mind Discovery Map" created by asking working women in Japan, "What kind of person do you want to be in five years? The results were statistically processed to create a "mind discovery map. A large number of words were collected. Looking over the entire map, we found that there were multiple words for "balancing" such as "balancing work and child-rearing," "work-life balance," and "fulfilling work and private life. This shows that people are seeking a stable daily life with a relaxed mind, while placing importance on the balance between family, hobbies and work.

Chart 1

Graph 2 shows the central area of this map. The words that appear in this area are the "associative centers" that are connected to various other elements. The following words were found in this area.

Comfortable", "relaxed", "stable life", "easy going", "having fun".

Chart 2

The words have a soft and relaxed feel to them. Rather than an aggressive future of accomplishing something or taking on a challenge, the values that emerge are, "I want to spend my time relaxing and having fun with a relaxed mind. In addition, words such as "handmade" and "eating out" have appeared to describe actions. They may feel a happy future in spending enjoyable and peaceful time without straining themselves, such as eating delicious food with friends or making their own food.

Indonesia: "I'll work hard. My virtual assistant is on my side!"

Next, let's look at the "Mind Discovery Map" of working women in Indonesia to find out what their values are.

Overall, many words that symbolize durable consumer goods such as electronics, cars, and clothes, as well as wealthy lifestyles such as vacations appeared, indicating a desire for material wealth in their daily lives.

The following words were also found in the central area (Figure 3).
Hard work," "taking responsibility," "working hard," "educating children.
Virtual assistant," and "effective.

Chart 3

The "virtual assistant" mentioned here is a generic term for IT services that support personal activities, with Apple's Siri and Google's Google Now being typical examples.
We want to work hard and responsibly, get the clothes, cars, vacations, and other things we like, and do our best to educate our children. Virtual assistants seem to be the key to making our lives smarter and richer.

India: "I create my life with my dreams. I am a mature person with a happy life."

The last one is a "Mind Discovery Map" of a working woman in India. Many words that express the spirit of challenge are appearing, such as hope, power, and adventure. We could hear a powerful voice trying to face the near future in a positive way.

The following words were found in the central area (Figure 4).
Dream, creativity, power, happiness, hope, maturity, and laptop.

Chart 4

I want to grow, fulfill my dreams, and improve my sensitivity. In order to achieve this, it is important to work hard with a positive attitude, which is a value that I can see. They feel that laptops are important for working hard here.

In Japan, it is "comfort and stability. Indonesia is "hard work and affluence. The differences in the values of the working women of the three countries were brought to light through their "ideal selves" in five years.

What does "success" mean for working women?

Next, let's look at the word "success," which appeared in all three countries, and compare the "potential meaning" of the word and the differences in the background by reading the Mind Discovery Map. Let's compare the "potential meaning" of the word and the differences in the background.

Japan: I've been transferred to a new job and made new mommy friends. I want to be able to handle both big and small changes.

In the Japanese "Mind Discovery Map", the following words are strongly associated with the word "success" (Figure 5).
In the Japanese Mind Discovery Map, the following words are strongly associated with the word "success": "transfer," "new car," "buying new appliances," "mommy and me," and "promotion.

Figure 5

It is characterized by words that describe big changes such as transfers and promotions, as well as small changes inside and outside the house. By connecting these words, I heard this voice.

Five years from now, my lifestyle will probably be different. Five years from now, my lifestyle will probably be different, and I want to make sure that I'm still in my place. I don't want to stand out too much, but I want to be positive. Being able to make the change work for you is what success is all about.

The value of "seeking a stable daily life" that was mentioned earlier seems to be reflected in the idea of "success".

Indonesia: If you are grateful for everything and work hard, one day you will be able to go to Haji and have your own land.

The following words are strongly associated with the word "success" in the Indonesian Mind Discovery Map (Figure 6).
Gratitude, hard work, hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca in Indonesian), strong faith, family, land.

Figure 6

We can decipher that the symbol for "success" is going to the hajj and owning land. For this reason, I am grateful for everything and work hard. By connecting these words, I heard this voice.

Before we talk about work and family, the important thing is to keep our faith. I want to be able to send myself and my family to the hajj someday, and I want to have my own land. I have to work hard for that.

It seems that when people think of "success," they think of success in life as spiritual wealth, and not as earning money through work. I was able to see the values of Indonesian women who value faith in God as well as working hard and living a rich life with their families.

India: People who are beautiful like their mothers and can balance work and home life are the ones who are successful.

The following words are strongly associated with the word "success" in India's Mind Discovery Map (Figure 7).
Mom," "family time," "perfection," "beauty," "work," "motivated," and "work-life balance".

Figure 7

By connecting these words, I heard this voice.

It's not enough to just be good at your job. You have to have it all, beauty, talent, time with your family, and motivation. Yes, I want to be just like my mom.

The value of seeking "challenge and maturity" seems to be applied not only to work, but to all aspects of life.

Different cultural backgrounds and values in different countries around the world. It is not an easy task to grasp all these differences and to capture the consciousness and behavior of people in each country. This is where a method such as "Mind Discovery Map" comes in handy, as it visualizes the entire consciousness of the sei-katsu-sha, and by searching for the meaning of it, discovers the invisible voices and discovers insights. For example, what makes people feel "happy"? It is likely that we will discover something new.

Since the survey targets people who have access to the Internet to answer the questionnaire, the values are those of people above a certain social class.

This analysis is based on data from an Internet survey conducted among women in various countries.
This analysis was conducted using data from an online survey of women in various countries.
Research area: Japan/Indonesia/India/USA　
In this article, we only introduce the results of the Asian region.
Target population: Female, 20-39 years old, employed
Survey period: September 2018
Sample size Japan: 670s, Indonesia: 600s, India: 541s, USA: 581s
Sample size Japan: 670s Indonesia: 600s India: 541s USA: 581s
1) "Mind Discovery Map" was created for each country in two languages (Japanese and local language) by using PAC-i, an analysis tool based on PAC analysis.

Translated with AI Translator

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• Feb 07, 2019
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