A pioneering first for the industryOver the years, J. Walter Thompson Intelligence MEA has charted the evolution of Arab women, from the rise of the New Age Arab back in 2009, to Power Women in 2012, to the edgy, progressive and driven Mipsterz in 2014. Documenting the most powerful cultural commentary of the largest consumer category: women

Today, we unveil our proprietary women’s insight study, as part of our global initiative, providing an authoritative understanding of the multi faceted, empowered Middle Eastern female audience.

Tunisian foil fencer and Olympic medalist Ines BoubakriPhoto Credit: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

There has been no shortage of studies, detailing how today, Arab women are making an impact. This should come as no surprise. Over the last few years, we’ve watched the Arab woman make strides in the MENA, her role evolving from passive nurturer to respected partner. Acatalyst of positive and productive change.

We’ve also observed the way the regional zeitgeist has been evolving, with more feminine traits coming to the fore.

For starters, we’re all becoming a lot more empathic, going beyond simply understanding one another's pain points and angst, to becoming more proactive in actually solving our real world problems. We’re also adopting more holistic approaches, with people viewing diet, beauty, wellbeing, mind, body, and fitness as one big ecosystem to maintain.

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And in our developing world communities, businesses are becoming more transparent, inclusive and conversational, not too far removed as a thought construct from women supporting each other through self-organized community groups and savings groups

With more forward thinking women driving the way, we’re seeing long held male/female conventions, roles, activities, behaviors, preferences and styles blurring, with more young women eager to get their hands dirty in the normally blokey sector – women taxi drivers crowding the streets of Egypt and UAE, and Saudi women pioneering the mounts of Everest.

Most women are natural community builders, networkers, wise investors and storytellers — the keys to successful marketing  - which is perhaps why women moguls and mavens are changing the face of business in the Middle East today. One can even argue that the modern-day marvel ‘’Teenpreneur’ - teen entrepreneurs changing the world - is but a ramification of devoted child rearing and nurturing, on behalf of women everywhere.

So why then do we think of impactful Arab men as a natural occurrence, and yet impactful Arab women as an anomaly?

Because the fact of the matter is, the fairer sex is doing such a great job at everything she puts her mind to, Arab men are now experiencing their own version of awakening, with a ‘’Menaissance’ knocking at our doors.

Right now, women are operating on far less creative potential than they should be. Why? Because we’ve siphoned them into one statistical column, as opposed to looking more closely at their idiosyncrasies and nuances; the Arab Alphas, the Second Lifers, the Veiled Vogues and the High Net Worth, to name a few.

By leveraging female virtues instead of burying them, and by celebrating women’s achievements instead of their responsibilities, we are approaching a more integrated world where women are seen as an assertive factor of progress rather than a battle of will with the current state.

Have we reached this nexus as a result of women stealthily evolving over time, or have women surreptitiously been drawing us to their egalitarian virtues all along? That’s the chicken or the egg question, which can be argued till the cows come home.

Either way, in a world where women are the largest emerging market and the Muslim segment is the fastest growing in the world, Arab women are definitely the consumer to be eyeing for the future.

We live in a world where we are more similar than different,Where gender is a blurred line,

Where disability is a super human ability, and,Where girls want more out of life.

We’re experiencing Cultural Climate Change

A proprietary insight study and index about women around the world.

A global repository of female insight defining Female Capital. Identifying new Tribes which characterise female capital, yet to be tapped.

Female  Tribes

Clockwise, from top left: Major Mariam Al Mansouri, UAE's first female fighter pilot (Credit: WAM), Nawal El Saadawi Egyptian women’s rights activist, author, physician and

psychiatrist, HE Noura Al Kaabi, UAE’s Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairwoman of the Media Zone Authority - Abu Dhabi and twofour54, (Credit:

twofour54), Hala Fadel, cofounder of MENA VC Leap Ventures, (Credit: Forbes),.

Female Tribes is intended to be a living study, collecting the latest trends characterising female progress around the world. We welcome contributions of locally conducted research and insight.

The Tribes study is the result of over four years’ desk research, drawing on secondary research sources, together with the new Proprietary Research commissioned in 2016 across KSA, Egypt and Lebanon.

Female Tribes is NOT a segmentation study nor a new set of pigeonholes in which to force fit women, but a means of characterising the key trends, facets of female progress and Female ‘Capital’ in order to drive conversation and media currency.

Female  Tribes

Women in Cairo in the 1960s

Photo Credit: Al Bawaba

84% of women think femininity is a strength not a weakness

JWT Intelligence MENA Women’s Index Study 2016

Dana Hussain, Iraqi Track and Field athletePhoto Credit: Brigitte Lacombe

And 77% feel that women should have a louder voice when it comes to cultural influenceJWT Intelligence MENA Women’s Index Study 2016

Photo Credit: Babak Kazemi

73% believe they are more ambitious than their spouses or significant othersJWT Intelligence MENA Women’s Index Study 2016

Photo Credit: Shutterstock/ Entrpreneur

Also, 79% think that starting or running their own business is

important in their lives right nowJWT Intelligence MENA Women’s Index Study 2016

Photo Credit: Al Jazeera America

82% would like tosee more and hear more about women in science and engineeringJWT Intelligence MENA Women’s Index Study 2016

Egyptian women ink their fingers after voting in the presidential election in Cairo Photo Credit: AP Photo/Lobna Tarek, El Shorouk Newspaper

And 65% of women are even excited about the prospects of a female president or head of government in their country JWT Intelligence MENA Women’s Index Study 2016

Photo Credit: Getty/ The Balance

90% of Arab women think that education is a necessity in today’s worldJWT Intelligence MENA Women’s Index Study 2016

Women are writing a new narrative, that demands a new media language to make the conversation more resounding.

The way we portray women in our work today matters.

Photo Credit: : unsplash.com

01/ ARAB ALPHASYoung, educated, and fearless, Alphas are breaking social and cultural barriers and pioneering landscapes once only a privilege to Arab men.

WHAT THIS MEANS:They are changing the conversation around femininity and ‘un-tabooing womanhood’, paving the way for real progress in the region.

DONNADRAPERS

02/ DONNA DRAPERSIn the Middle East’s male-dominated workplaces, women are increasingly asserting their influence as boardroom magnates and even conquering the world of startups, with ‘feminine’ qualities, skills and values that are powering businesses forward.

WHAT THIS MEANS:Businesses can no longer neglect the needs of women as wealth creators or investors and need to start creating products with women as key targets.

Photo Credit: : Getty/ LinkedIn

03/ TIGER MOMSArab women are relentlessly ambitious for their children and with a spreadsheet approach to parenting, they are going to great lengths to push their children to excel at school, socially, and creatively.

WHAT THIS MEANS:Childcare brands must demonstrate empathy for this maternal audience but also assert a cultural POV; not all women or cultures are sold on this parenting model which can nurture out creative thinking in favor of rote learning.

Photo Credit: : Getty/ The Handout

04/ SECOND LIFERS50 plus women are reinventing themselves, rejecting traditional linear paths of life and revisiting milestones at will: dating, parenting, launching businesses and more.

WHAT THIS MEANS:We can no longer write women off as settled and retired in their 50s. This impacts all areas of business from financial service providers to investment products and retail.

Photo Credit: : Getty/ Sixty and Me

05/  TEEN  ACTIVISTSTeens as social or environmental activists or philanthropists.Women are twice as likely to give to charity as men and when

they do give, they get personally involved.

WHAT THIS MEANS:Women don’t buy brands, they join them, so it is imperative

businesses demonstrate their societal impact.

Azza Faiad, Inventor of a new biofuel generating method Photo Credit: : TedX Amsterdam Women

THE  SUPERATHLETE06/  THE  SUPER ATHLETEA pioneering tier of female super athletes are emerging, challenging performance standards and trailblazing for Arab women in sport, in – what The Washington Post has described as –”one of the last regions to celebrate them.”

WHAT THIS MEANS:The language of health and exercise, has moved from talking about being thin to talking about being fit and charts the many ways women are evolving to create a new female narrative in the 21st century. Moving forward, women’s sport will become an outlet for reform, forcing brands to consider the profound social impact that sport can play.

Jordanian martial artist and former boxer Arifa BseisoPhoto Credit: Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp, Thailand

07/ VEILED VOGUESTranscending the fashion-forward Mipsterz movement we wrote about early 2014, these veiled mavericks are pioneering new successes across all areas of life and fueling an ever-growing Muslim economy in the process.

WHAT THIS MEANS:It’s time for brands to understand and tune into the real needs of this educated and ambitious audience.

Photo Credit: We Heart It

08/  THE  NEW  SPIRITUALISTWomen are rejecting traditional religion and focusing on holistic or alternative spirituality.

WHAT THIS MEANS:How can brands tune into her spiritual needs, without over promising. Any brand considering taking up

the mantle of feminism through cause related communication needs to think beyond the superficial.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

09/  GRACEFULGAZELLESWomen in their forties today appear much younger. These women are super consumers of health and beauty products and increasingly, opinion leaders.

WHAT THIS MEANS:Beauty is no longer the preserve of the young; older women aspire to be beautiful well into their 60s and 70s, changing the discussion around beauty.

Photo Credit: Getty/ Huffington Post

10/  MODEST  MATRIARCHSOlder Arab women are finding their calling beyond the confines of their homes. While family remains at

the heart of their purpose, Modest Matriarchs are marrying passion, goodwill, and determination to take on a more assertive role in their societies.

WHAT THIS MEANS:Once powerless and voiceless, the Modest Matriarch is emerging as a reliable partner, who harnesses

her maternal instinct to better generations and societies. They will increasingly seek out products, services and experiences that help them mark their social spheres for the better.

PA female protester chants fiercely in Talaat Harb Square against the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) Photo Credit: Flickr, Nada Badawi

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11/  HNW WOMENFemale millionaires and self-made women. High Net Worth women invest in a different way, prioritizing, maintaining and protecting wealth, investing in luxury assets and more philanthropic pursuits.

WHAT THIS MEANS:High Net Worth women exhibit different behaviors to their male peers and brands are yet to really tune into to the growth of this audience and what they actually want.

Photo Credit: Rolls-Royce Motors

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12/  MATERIAL  GIRLSModern women are driving the ”Beauty is Power” heuristic full-force, unabashedly using their appearances or personal favors to get ahead in life. Material Girls will stop at nothing in the face of financial benefits or lavish lifestyles – the easier route than good old fashioned hard work and financial independence.

WHAT THIS MEANS:Due to their financial prowess, these women opt for more luxurious and expensive products and services. which opens up a very different conversation around luxury.

Photo Credit: GQ

13/  LADY  LAWMAKERS

Ohoud Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, UAEPhoto Credit: WAM

Politically active or Female parliamentarians.

WHAT THIS MEANS:The MENA boasts some of the most dynamic economies and politically and socially engaged women. Consider how brands, products or services can tune into women as decision makers and influencers.

14/  THE  NOT  MOMSWomen who are happily childfree, or never plan to have children, and increasingly

women with children who don’t want to be defined solely as a mother.

WHAT THIS MEANS:Brands and Marketers need to consider whether it’s appropriate to represent all

women as Mothers, and equally to ask as appropriate if they’re serving women who are not ‘child less’ but happily ‘child free’.

Photo Credit: Getty/Pinterest

15/  Female  FightersWomen in the armed or security forces.

WHAT THIS MEANS:We need to dramatize and celebrate the value of the female soldier beyond the quota or diversity argument.

Photo Credit: Getty/Huffington Post

About J. Walter Thompson Intelligence MEAJ. Walter Thompson Intelligence, is a platform for global research,innovation and data analytics at J. Walter Thompson Company, housingthree key practices: SONAR™, Analytics, and the Innovation Group.SONAR™ is J. Walter Thompson’s research unit that develops and exploitsnew quantitative and qualitative research techniques to understandcultures, brands, and consumer motivation around the world. Analyticsfocuses on the innovative application of data and technology to informand inspire new marketing solutions. It offers a suite of bespoke analyticstools. Innovation Group charts emerging and future trends, consumerchange and innovation patterns—translating these into insight for brands.Mennah Ibrahim is MEA Director of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence.

For more inquiries about how to leverage Female Tribes for your brands:

Contact:Mennah IbrahimMEA Director of J. Walter Thompson Intelligencemennah.ibrahim@jwt.com

Dana El HassanSenior Executive, Innovation Group, dana.elhassan@jwt.com

Editors:Mennah IbrahimDana El Hassan

SONAR ™:Diana Orrico

Visual Editor: Dana El Hassan

Cover Image Credit: Bouguessa