Are women the new men? OR is it just simply a return to the past?

Euro RSCG just launched our latest Prosumer Report: Gender Shift: Are Women the New Men (www.prosumer-report.com).  This report is particularly interesting to me on several levels. The report finds that: the role of women has evolved and they have managed to break through gender barriers. Numerous statistics have shown how women are powering ahead in education often outnumbering and outperforming men. Women are also increasingly becoming the primary or co-bread winner for about two-thirds of American families.

Women are growing into new roles and men are growing out of traditional roles – they are no longer automatically, the head of household, the protector, provider or the sole decision maker.

The interesting thing to me is that this is all being discussed as if it is brand new. As if women are finally taking lead. It is as if women have finally found their voice.  If we go back into history and particularly the mother-centered religions, we find that women in many religions were revered.  Women were regarded as the authority, the goddess and the unconditional.  As we moved into a patriarchal society, woman was dethroned and father became the supreme.  We saw the rise of the male gods and society at large shifted to a father-centric structure.

As we reflect on the findings from the Prosumer Report - is this really anything new, or is the pendulum simply shifting back?  

EURO RSCG PLUG (my company): Propelling businesses and brands to the future first is the focal point of our work at Euro RSCG Worldwide – and the promise we make to our clients. To that end, we have made Prosumers an ongoing focus over the past decade. Who are Prosumers? They are the men and women who are influencing markets all over the globe. Empowered by new technologies and improved access to information, Prosumers are highly knowledgeable and demanding consumers. What they are doing today, mainstream consumers are likely to be doing six to eighteen months from now.