ANZ's Watch Women Win Report

Download ANZ's Watch Women Win report (2.33MB PDF)

1. INTRODUCTION FROM ANTONIA WATSON, CEO, ANZ NEW ZEALAND

{CF_IMAGE}

{CF_IMAGE}

{CF_IMAGE}

2. WATCH WOMEN WIN MANIFESTO

{CF_IMAGE}

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Q. People can have moments of self-doubt despite education, experience and accomplishments. Have you ever felt doubt in your ability in the following settings?

{CF_IMAGE}

{CF_IMAGE}

4. FINDINGS BY THEME

MOTIVATION AND ROLE MODELS

Inspiration and motivation can come from a variety of places. The research shows a strong social component informing judgements of ‘inspiration’, i.e. being talented wasn’t enough on its own to qualify a person as inspirational. Respondents needed and wanted to see more. Role models need to be relatable, ‘down to earth’ and community-minded with evidence of giving back.

When asked to nominate inspiring sportspeople, the most cited examples in the women’s groups were Lisa Carrington, Simone Biles, Sophie Pascoe, Dame Valerie Adams, and Sir John Kirwan. The men’s groups often named Lisa Carrington and Dame Valerie but were heavier on rugby and cricket players. Richie McCaw and Brendon McCullum were the two most common.

It was clear that it was not enough for a sportsperson to be good at their chosen sport to be nominated; they had to embody many of the qualities applied to inspiring people generally.

The key reasons these people were chosen were:

• Good role model – team player, no negative media, kids look up to them, show women can achieve after motherhood, mental health advocate
• Good person – humble, down-to-earth, genuine
• Contributes to the community
• Sporting achievements, dominance
• Shows tenacity – keeps pushing, ‘gets it done’
• Overcame adversity.

“We can all be role models – don’t underestimate the power in demonstrating possibilities. We need to back our women and make sure they feel loved, respected and recognised for their achievements, so they can keep winning at the highest level.”

- ANZ New Zealand CEO Antonia Watson

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many female respondents found women to be more inspirational than men. They were considered more relatable, and might have faced similar challenges such as family/societal pressures. This further supports the above point that achievement and talent is not enough for a personality to be inspirational.

In terms of sports, women felt that female sportspeople were seen to set more achievable goals from a physical standpoint. However, a number felt that the elite levels of those nominated would always be out of reach for the average person, and thus weren’t really ‘motivational’.

A focus on mental health was particularly evident among younger women, and in their nomination of figures like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, who have recently been outspoken about their prioritisation of personal wellbeing and how that is an achievement in itself rather than pushing to ‘win’ against all odds. Despite a backlash, Osaka, in particular, received significant support for her stance, which is vital in giving others permission to see this as OK.

Groups in general were much more likely to cite family and friends, or community leaders, as inspiration, and there was strong recognition from those participating in team sports that they relied on a key person acting as a co-ordinator – setting up teams, organising and motivating people to take part. Women relied on their friends more than men for inspiration. Support and influencing female friendship groups will be key to keeping women engaged and supported in achieving their goals.

Not surprisingly, social media personalities and influencers were the number one motivator of people aged 18-44 years.

Q: Who MOST inspires you to keep going at things in your life when you’re facing challenges? (%)

{CF_IMAGE}

“My family and team were a major contributing factor in my ability to perform at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and bring home a gold medal for New Zealand. Just that nudge on the days I felt too tired to train and the sacrifices they made to enable me to perform made all the difference.”

- Olympic Gold Medalist and ANZ Ambassador Emma Twigg

THE SNOWBALL EFFECT OF ENCOURAGEMENT

A sobering two out of three women (64%) don’t feel successful women receive as much recognition as men.

Most respondents considered success a product of ‘hard work and application’ followed by ‘strong support’ and ‘being encouraged’.

All three factors were rated stronger by women. ‘Luck’ and ‘privilege’ scored lowest. Luck was the only exception to this, with 33% of females and 42% of males considering this important.

Q: Thinking about your proudest successes or achievements in life, how important were each of the following? (%)

{CF_IMAGE}

Women were more likely to give a higher importance rating across the board compared to men.

• Especially higher was for hard work (86% vs 79%) and strong support system (72% vs 60%)
• Luck was the only exception to this, with 33% females considering this important and 42% of males.

Younger respondents gave higher ratings for hard work and natural ability.

{CF_IMAGE}

Respondents were asked about their participation in sport growing up and who they felt provided encouragement. Almost half acknowledged a family member in this role, with the father ranking highly for men and mothers providing support to more than half of women.

Parents had typically encouraged participation through passing on their passion in a sport, and supporting children and other people in a variety of ways, such as:

• Watched their games
• Celebrated the big moments (awards, ceremonies, finals)
• Arranged transport to practise and competition
• Involved with sports clubs
• Involved in practise
• Watched games together on TV
• Watched big games in person
• Helped buy equipment.

Q: Growing up, were you actively encouraged or supported to participate in sport by any of the following:

{CF_IMAGE}

Of those who said ‘family member’, 41% said it was mostly their mother and 41% said father.

• Among females: 51% mother / 31% father
• Among males: 49% father / 32% mother

The most common way mothers would do this was: arrange transport (65%), show up to games (55%) buy equipment (50%) and celebrate big moments (41%).

The most common ways fathers would do this was: show up to games (60%) arrange transport (52%) buy equipment (50%) and attend practise (42%).

{CF_IMAGE}

SOLUTIONS AND BENEFITS

Men and women both identify participation in sport as equally important, with the development of self-confidence/self-esteem the number one reason for overall participation.

There was a high degree of consistency across the research groups on the benefits of physical activity. Mental health was a dominant feature with ‘sets up the day well’ right through to ‘stress release’ and ‘time out from family’ or ‘me time’ cited as positive benefits, which can be applied to other aspects of life.

Taking time for personal and professional development, and the sense of achievement that that can provide, has significant health benefits – it’s widely recognised that stress can be relieved through pursuits that foster genuine happiness and fulfilment.

General health and fitness were seen as universally important even among the less active respondents, and was a strong driver of the sense of obligation to do more in terms of physical activity. The social aspects of sport and recreation were strong for the majority of respondents and for many are a major driver of enjoyment and motivation to continue.

Q: How important are each of the following personal benefits of physical activity and sport? (%)

{CF_IMAGE}

Females are more likely to consider the following more important than males: mental health (81% vs 72%), ‘Me-time’ (68% vs 59%), stress release (79% vs 73%) and better sleep (73% vs 63%).

Males are more likely to consider the following more important than females: urge for competition (39% vs 29%) and success in their career (41% vs 31%).

{CF_IMAGE}

Sporting moments that stood out for people were as much about personal milestones as trophies and wins. These might include finishing a half marathon or reaching a goal weight.

While there was certainly an element of ‘wider/peer recognition’ driving the pride behind many of these achievements, the flow-on effects can be wide-reaching, including:

• Increased confidence
• Improved focus after exercise
• Better sleep
• Makes me a better team member at work
• Happier family life
• I’m a more balanced, well-rounded person
• Helps me to be more successful in my career
• I can persevere when things get challenging.

{CF_IMAGE}

THE CALL TO ACTION – WATCH WOMEN WIN

The research has shown that increasing visibility and celebration of female success is a highly motivating factor in encouraging other women to participate. This, in turn, can give women the motivation they lack due to the burden of other commitments.

For the Watch Women Win programme to be successful and for change to be achieved, the barriers for women particularly need to be broken down and removed. For many women, the guilt aspect of taking ‘me-time’ was often a key factor in play, particularly when related to sport. A number noted that their kids’ sports always took precedence over their needs – both in terms of time and cost.

Many of these are historical or societal hangovers from a past that put women in a more familial caregiving role, or the often paralysing posture that comes with the sense that women must do it all and be all things to everyone in order to be seen as successful.

The barriers cited in the research when looking at reasons women drop out of sporting activity include:

• Societal norms – boys are expected to play sport, while there are typically lower expectations on girls
• More pressure to juggle career and family – with sport an easy activity to give up
• Lack of role models for young women
• While ‘cool’ at school, playing sport was less attractive as you got older, taken over by parties, drinking, socialising.

Barriers to being more active [ranked from all]:

• Motivation
• Risk of Covid-19
• Weather
• Too busy/other commitments e.g. work/family
• Not fit enough.

Top three solutions to attract people to participate more in physical activity:

• Lower cost options
• Beginner or introductory sessions (for learning the rules, improving fitness etc)
• The team or club makes you feel accepted/welcome.

{CF_IMAGE}

To affect change, visibility is key and the more we celebrate success, the more permission we give for this to continue. We can remove some of the societal stereotypes by normalising the alternatives. A clear example is when applied to sport – the research showed there is a strong perception women’s sport is broadcast much less than men’s (substantiated by viewership research) -  and was seen as largely limited to netball coverage.

The Olympic Games were noted as one event that did provide more balanced coverage of women and men in action, and the medal wins by women at this year’s event particularly forced the spotlight and subsequent positive media coverage.

However, there is a long way to go to achieve true balance.

The main reasons people believe there is lower coverage of women’s sports are:

• Lower television ratings
• Male view of sports/what would be of interest to viewers
• Lack of national focus/pride in women’s sport – possibly partially due to historical lack of sponsorship/support
• Traditional/dated model of sports coverage – not publicised or promoted adequately
• Overall, perhaps less women’s sport is played so there is less available to cover.

Additionally, some did note aspects of women’s sport that made it less appealing to them. These findings were stronger in the men’s groups but present with women as well:

• Lack of knowledge about the teams and/or athletes
• Seen as less skilled, slower and less exciting due to lower physicality/strength
• Less appealing to partner/rest of family so it’s not watched together.

Men and women agreed that they were likely to watch more female sport if it was broadcast more often, and three quarters (75%) of respondents said visibility of women’s sport on TV was very or fairly motivational in terms of encouraging them to participate in sport themselves.

{CF_IMAGE}

A change in attitude towards what success looks like, along with recognition of the drivers of participation in sport – with women motivated less by winning and competition and more by the wellbeing benefits of sport and exercise – are shifting the dynamic.

The focus on ‘winning’ in the traditional sense was off-putting, and when asked about their own memorable moments in a sporting sense, ‘winning’ featured but was not dominant.

Significant moments were just as likely to involve meeting goals, and hitting health targets, such as:

• Finishing an event like a marathon
• Gaining a black belt
• Improving on a best time or completing a difficult course
• Losing weight or improving fitness/strength.

In summing up what ‘winning’ meant to them in relation to their own efforts, most felt it was the journey that was most important.

In this respect ‘winning’ related to executing a plan, reaching goals, and continual improvement.

Allowing ‘winning’ to be the setting and achievement of goals can be applied to all aspects of life, and – again – speaks to the idea that taking steps to get where you want to be is normal, expected and part of the overall story.

The ways businesses were seen to be able to support women better were almost exclusively confined to the removal of practical barriers. The research noted greater participation in sport, but increased support of women in leadership roles, improved career development pathways, and greater flexibility can allow for success across other aspects of life.

Key suggestions from respondents to support women in the workplace:

• Set the tone for change from the top
• Ensure the removal of barriers to women being promoted to senior positions
• Encourage women role models in the workplace
• Take on work practices successfully implemented by women that enhance the workplace
• Ensure the workplace does not condone behaviour or dated attitudes that negatively impacts women
• Ensure fair pay policies are in place for women.

Q: How strongly do you agree or disagree that companies and the people who lead them should do the following to support women reach their goals and ‘win’ (%)

{CF_IMAGE}

Women were more likely to endorse all factors but this was particularly the case for:

• Training courses (56% vs 47%) • Fair pay policies (79% vs 67%)
• Additional leave (47% vs 38%) • Gender quotas (40% vs 32%)

{CF_IMAGE}

Role models were seen as particularly important here, with the potential to reinforce and normalise visibility of strong female leadership. Several respondents recounted first-hand experiences of the benefit of female leaders and how their management style resulted in better commitment and performance from staff.

Currently, women respondents say they are not experiencing motivation from the same sources as men, which could indicate a lack of relatable role models, as described in the section on inspiration/motivation.

This presents an opportunity for change and greater visibility of those real stories of success that prompt an emotional response.

Q: Which of the following types of people ever provide you with direct or indirect motivation to keep going when you’re facing challenges? (%)

{CF_IMAGE}

5. CONCLUSION

What is clear from the research findings is that shifting attitudes is creating headway, but greater championing of others and visibility of success stories is needed to create a participatory environment.

Encouraging participation relies on addressing both the practical and the psychological/emotional barriers. It requires better means of connection with like-minded groups or individuals in safe spaces where people are championed, and feelings of embarrassment can subside and make way for passion and drive for our goals to be achieved.

Our next generation needs to see more role models and have greater visibility of women leading the charge, there is already a strong view that change is underway – but it must sit alongside more direct initiatives from leaders that address the practical and emotional barriers which constrain the act of ‘leaning in’.

Women need the motivation to reach a certain level of commitment and to push harder, but this cannot be stand-alone. Motivation comes from an environment that champions achievement, that shines a light on success rather than dampens it, and where inspiration is found in the news, on social media, at the workplace, in our friendship groups and our families.

ANZ is proud to be part of a world that creates space for everyone to win and for companies like ours, this means (but is not limited to):

• Leading by example from the inside out
• Better use of our advertising influence and putting our money where our mouth is
• Greater consideration of sponsorships that create opportunities for further change.

We’re excited about the launch of this important platform and we’re looking forward to shining more light on how we can all Watch Women Win.

If you can see it, you can be it.

{CF_IMAGE}

6. METHODOLOGY

Quantitative results in this report are based upon questions asked in an online nationally representative survey of n=1500 New Zealanders aged 18 years and over. The survey was conducted by Talbot Mills Research between 21 and 30 September, 2021. The effective maximum margin of error for a sample of n=1500 at the 95% confidence level is ± 2.5%.

Qualitative observations are based on the findings of eight focus groups conducted by Talbot Mills Research between 7 and 9 September, 2021 conducted via Zoom. Six groups were with women only, covering a nationwide geographical spread and a range of ages. It included dedicated groups of Māori and Pacifica women. Two groups were conducted with the fathers of daughters.

Download ANZ's Watch Women Win report (2.33MB PDF)