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SEMPL 2013

Mythbusters: What do men

and women really want?

Victoria Davies

Distribution Director South-East Europe

Discovery Networks CEEMEA

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Searching for answers

2013 2012 2008

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SPECIES – The changing face of men

2008, Species - 21 countries, 50 experts, 15,000 male respondents.

• Since then we have been tracking the opinions and attitudes

of men at regular intervals, expanding the age range to 18-

49s (Species Planning Tool 2009, 2011).

• Today, Europe feels like a very different place – economically,

politically and socially: our understanding of what it is to be a

man today has been shaken up once again.

• Species - The Changing Face of Men delves into men’s

professional ambitions, personal relationships and the way

they spend their free time

2012, Species - 11 countries, 20 experts, 2,250 new interviews

HEADLINES

1.The financial crisis has held up a generation of young men on their road to manhood – and their

frustration is building.

2.More men than ever aspire to fatherhood. They are now more comfortable with domestic

responsibilities and emotional responses.

3.Contrary to popular belief, social media is changing the quantity and quality of men’s friendships

for the better.

4.For all its benefits, mobile technology has become an ‘unhealthy addiction’ which leaves some

men feeling more like the slave than the master – and surprisingly it’s younger men who feel the

most affected and are most keen to switch off.

5.Men are increasingly disaffected with politicians but they are re-engaging with politics, as their

belief grows that together with others, they can make a difference.

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HELD UP ON THE ROAD TO MANHOOD

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• The journey to manhood is now more a matter of

financial necessity, particularly for men in their 20s

• The economic climate is keeping men in their 20s in

education, in their parents’ homes or in low-paid jobs,

preventing financial independence

• Staying at home for longer is placing strain on family

relationships; parents struggle to cope with the financial

burden

• The average age at which men first get married has

increased from 26 years in 1980 to 30 today.

FATHERHOOD TAKES CENTER STAGE

• More men than ever aspire to fatherhood.

• They are now more comfortable with domestic

responsibilities and emotional responses.

• The proportion of men under 40 declaring that

what they want most in life is to have and

raise children increased by 5 points to 45%

between 2009 and 2011.

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UNDER PRESSURE TO KNOW MORE

• The definition of ‘quality information’ has changed,

with the emphasis now firmly on immediacy and

digestibility.

• The sheer wealth of information available puts

pressure on men to know more – or at least

enough to save face – and to know it first.

• Knowledge has become a source of personal

validation that affects self-esteem both on and

offline. Social media serves as a constant reminder

of the knowledge and achievements of others.

• Two-thirds of men say that they love technology

because it enables them to live their life to the full

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TIME TO TURN OFF?

• Men are beginning to cite an ‘unhealthy addiction’

to technology, and an increasingly ambiguous

relationship in which it can be unclear who is the

master and who is the slave.

• Tech is supposed to make our lives easier, but for

some of the men we spoke to, it is starting to do the

opposite

• We might expect men under 30 to be better

adjusted to a lifestyle pervaded by mobile

technology, but in fact the opposite is true.

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THE RUGGED MAN IN THE MIRROR

• Looking attractive continues to be important

for men, especially for those under 30

• Excessive grooming towards a more rugged,

obviously male look; a shift in what ‘attractive’

means?

• 52% of men agree it’s important to look your

best and take care of yourself, up by 4% since

2009

“Men want to be attractive and have attractive jobs

up until they’re 50 years old. Even guys who are 25

are caring about not looking old when they’re 35 by

buying creams.” Gaute Dreval, Editor-in-Chief Smug

Magazine, Norway

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#1 HAPPINESS IS AN ATTITUDE

#2 A PARTNER IN LIFE

#3 BEAUTY INSIDE AND OUT

#4 IT’S WE, NOT ME

#5 SOCIAL STATUS

SHE OVERVIEW

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Who we spoke to

5,500 women

aged 20-49

in 11 countries

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