Forget Hollywood A-listers and celebrities, 57% of 16-24 year olds think their mums are the most inspiring women according to new research from Astral moisturiser.
Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, came second in the Top Ten Most Inspiring Women 2016 list carried out by Astral, followed by activist Malala Yousafzai.
Top Ten Most Inspirational Women, According To Millennials (16-34 year olds)
Millennial women look up to their mothers more than celebrities
- My Mum 47%
- JK Rowling (author) 32%
- Malala Yousafzai (activist for female education and youngest Nobel prize laureate) 28%
- Emma Watson (actress) 27%
- Jessica Ennis-Hill (athlete) 17%
- Kate Middleton (Duchess of Cambridge) 14%
- Adele (singer) 13%
- My sister 12%
- Rebecca Adlington (athlete) 10%
- Karren Brady (business woman) 9%
Nearly half of all Millenials (47%) picked their mothers as the person they most look up to, favouring Emma Watson (27%) and Jessica Ennis-Hill (17%) to Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence (15%) and fashion designer Victoria Beckham (5%). Other women mentioned included The Queen, Hilary Clinton and Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg.
The women's strength of character was the key reason why they were considered the most inspiring, with 62% of women citing this as the basis why. This was closely followed by their confidence (55%), intelligence (54%) and their hard-working philosophy (52%). In a celebrity obsessed society, fame was only a small factor (5%) that made them inspirational to Millennials.
Nine out of ten young women said they have a range of role models to, look up to whilst only 18% of women aged 55+ said they could not relate to or name any inspiring women. Career choices and development are important to Millennial women, with almost a quarter (22%) stating a good profession inspires them - which is almost double that of women aged 55+ (12%). Over a fifth of Millennials revealed being powerful as an important factor (21%), while this was not an issue for women aged 55 and over (14%).
Laura Haycock, Senior Psychologist at Pearn Kandola, said "Having strong female role models is important for young women. Seeing other women succeed, in spite of any gender-related obstacles, increases young women's own self-belief and makes them more likely to follow their own dreams and aspirations. This can encourage women to fulfil their potential and choose a path that motivates and interests them rather than sticking to stereotypical roles and expectations."
Sian Rimmer, Brand Manager at Astral, said, "The results reflect what young people have told us about their beauty regime, with 62% saying they look to their mothers as a key influencer on their skincare choices. We've launched the Kick-Start campaign to support young women and show how Astral is perfect for the modern millennial woman as it fits seamlessly into busy lives (and handbags)."
To find out more about Astral visit www.facebook.com/AstralMoisturiser or www.astral-cream.co.uk