Over the last decade, mission-driven digital media company theSkimm has advocated for, informed, and influenced millions of millennial women, breaking down the news, trends, policies, and politics that impact their lives so they can live smarter & make confident decisions. On the heels of its #ShowUsYourLeave movement & civic engagement efforts, in March theSkimm launched State of Women initiative, its initiative grounded in a proprietary study, to help women take agency of their lives & control of their futures.
A global pandemic, back-to-back recessions, a rollback on reproductive rights with no progress on paid family leave or child care. And an endless battle for gender equity. The state of women today? It’s not working. When 83% of women tell us they are sick of the status quo, things must change. When 84% of women wish men would step up & demand gender equity, it’s time they joined. When 71% of women feel their job is to constantly worry, enough is enough.
And theSkimm’s State Of Women Report is now a proof point – validating the feelings of women who have endured so much, giving them the tools to clear their plates, and create a better path forward.
As a woman-led brand, theSkimm has long understood these shared sentiments, and now has comprehensive data to get even louder about it and bring other brands on board to change the status quo. Because it’s well past time we changed the state of women and their money, careers, wellbeing, politics & more.
Overwhelming care responsibilities, economic stress, a healthcare system that underserves her–the last three years have been rough for women. If left unaddressed, this leaves $3.1 trillion in economic opportunity on the table. theSkimm is not only highlighting that women have been in crisis for decades & how the systems in place were never designed to support them in the first place.
The data-informed, action-driving campaign kicked off with a proprietary study – conducted by global market research firm The Harris Poll – among 4,500+ women from a wide range of backgrounds and different life stages. theSkimm shared direct feedback and insights from women on all they have endured, bringing to light the systemic challenges that persist against them, and highlighting how they are charting a new path forward.
theSkimm’s 2023 State of Women report found 74% of women surveyed agreed that “Society treats women like second-class citizens.” But one thing women are also making clear: they are done sacrificing themselves for jobs, partners, systems, and ideals that don't reward that sacrifice.
As the go-to resource for millennial women for the last decade, theSkimm is going beyond the numbers and utilizing the data in an effort to create real change. By delivering robust multimedia, social-first, and original content throughout the year across web, social, newsletters, and audio, theSkimm is providing its audience the information they need to rewrite the narrative and design the lives they want to live. These resources, tools and guides offer solutions to help women reprioritize themselves and clear the path towards their future selves – essentially supporting them in changing the state of their money, wellness, parenting, politics, and more.
Our report also shares what women are looking for from brands. 85% of women believe brands should actively make women’s lives better, and 74% say brands don’t understand the real concerns of women. There is a lack of voices that authentically represent women’s values and perspectives right now – signaling an opportunity for brands to make their mark and impact. theSkimm is tapping into this unique data to help brands build a deeper connection to their audiences – building affinity by matchmaking solutions and content that authentically represent women’s values and perspectives.
Women are in crisis–but that’s not new or news. And now, theSkimm’s State of Women Report offers a proof point. For example, 79% of women are “concerned with the social expectations around unpaid labor/mental load that women are responsible for.” But, 83% are taking agency by writing the next chapter of being a woman in America & 89% are redesigning the lives they want to live.
This year-long initiative has already seen overwhelming results and engagement with hundreds of thousands of people. State of Women has been featured on TODAY’s 3rd Hour, Forbes.com, Yahoo! Finance, Inc. Magazine, Romper, and Bloomberg Radio among other publications – amassing over 67+ million media impressions to date. The initiative continues to dominate conversations from social media feeds to the boardroom, and women are opening a productive dialogue with their family, friends, colleagues, and company leaders – sharing with theSkimm how they are leveraging this report and taking action to create big and small impactful changes to their daily lives.
One Skimm’r shared they spoke with other women about salary expectations, ensuring they set their salary floors to be no less than average for their roles and experience. Another used project management software to show their partner they were taking on the bulk of the household and childcare labor, and then readjusted the tasks.
Most importantly though, women feel seen and heard. As TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones said, “In addition to us just saying this, now you have the data, and now there’s action items.”
