This week's line of the week belongs to Rebecca Mead of the New Yorker. She's written a brief article that explores the age old question "what do women want" except this time it's from a business perspective. Apparently companies are so perplexed by this issue that they have engaged the services of a consulting group that examines retail behavior. They assigned consultant & author Micheal Silverstein to the task [am I the only one who thinks this is just a wee bit ironic?]. Clearly, understanding this demographic is essential in an era when it is smart business to cater to women. Silverstein noted that according to his findings, women want to be Swedish. Why? Apparently the Swedes not only have an egalitarian workforce in terms of money & treatment but they also value having ample vacation time in addition to truly sharing childrearing duties & household chores. There is of course a glitch. Quoting Silverstein, Mead writes:
" Swedish social policy might be a hard sell in America- much of the Midwest barely has IKEA..."
On its face, the line seems a tad flippant but I'd have to agree with its underlying meaning. However, you'd think these companies might consider looking for their solutions a little closer to home. Hiring a woman to help them discern what women want might be a good place to start. Just thinkin'