BATTLE CREEK, Michigan, March 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Girls and women around the world view inner strength as important as happiness – and those two qualities are nearly two times more significant than physical beauty and wealth. Yet, eight out of 10 women feel they have not reached their full potential, according to new global research conducted and published by Special K®.1 This startling statistic represents the “strength gap” – recognized as the difference between how strong women feel (from the inside out) vs. how strong she could be, or her potential.
In a time where women are seemingly at their strongest with 77 percent feeling they possess inner strength – leading global companies, increasingly occupying boards, and bringing new dimensions to gender roles in and out of homes worldwide – three quarters still wish they possessed even greater reserves.
Following International Women’s Day on March 8, Special K is taking a stance as a leader in the food and nutrition space – an area that has a significant impact on girls and women’s sense of self – by announcing its commitment to educating young women about this gap through a partnership with the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign.
Special K‘s report, “The New Face of Strength,” reveals that many women feel the factors contributing to women’s inner strength are within their control – such as nutrition, fitness, a sense of community and mental and emotional wellbeing. In fact, 68 percent of women surveyed cited food as important in fueling inner strength.
“Inner strength is as important as happiness to women around the world – and nearly two times more significant than physical beauty and wealth,” said Doug VandeVelde, Senior Vice President at Kellogg Company. “We are committed to better understanding what defines inner strength, what it means for women today and the vital role nutrition plays in unlocking a woman’s inner strength. Through our partnership with Girl Up in 2017, we’ll provide key nutrition education for 500,000 girls and young women to help guide them toward their full potential.”
Special K + Girl Up
A movement within the United Nations Foundation, Girl Up is led by girls and for girls, with the mission of uniting girls and empowering them to take action on behalf of the hardest-to-reach girls in places around the world where it’s hardest to be a girl.
“We have nearly half a million advocates raising awareness, engaging and educating girls to change the world,” said Anna Blue, deputy director of Girl Up. “We’re thrilled to join forces with Special K to further our mission of inspiring girls and women to learn about their inner strength to make change for girls around the world.”
It is within every girl and woman to reach their maximum potential in all aspects of life. Customized nutrition workshops and digital programs made available by Special K and Girl Up are critical resources to ensure young women around the world have the tools they need to live life at full strength, and they provide a way for the communities associated with both organizations to help build and support female empowerment.
The New Face of Strength
A number of findings detailed in “The New Face of Strength” attest to the importance of inner strength among women, including:
- The stronger a woman feels, the more confident and motivated she is – which, in turn, impacts her positivity and proactivity.
- Nine out of 10 women consider inner strength to be key to success, just ahead of intellect.
- 80 percent of women feel stronger when helping others, contributing to a chain of strength – yet only 57 percent say they have received support from another woman.
- For example, 84 percent of women in the US, 79 percent of women in the UK, 83 percent of women in Australia, 86 percent of women in Canada, 89 percent of women in Mexico and 79 percent of women in France say they feel stronger when helping others.
- Inner strength is complex and multidimensional, and it varies by situation – 79 percent of women view determination as an important attribute in a professional space, yet only 59 percent view the trait as important when parenting.
- Inner strength is viewed as an inherently female trait or need – 62 percent say that inner strength is most needed by women, with 9 percent feeling it is most needed by men.
- We know nutrition contributes to the inner strength gap as 92 percent of women believe that food plays a vital role in how strong they feel.
Visit StrongFeedsStrong.com to learn more about the strength gap and share your story with #StrongFeedsStrong.
About Kellogg Company
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we strive to make foods people love. This includes our beloved brands – Kellogg’s®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Mini-Wheats® and more – that nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. With 2015 sales of $13.5 billion and more than 1,600 foods, Kellogg is the world’s leading cereal company; second largest producer of cookies, crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company. Through our Breakfasts for Better DaysTM global hunger initiative, we’ve provided more than 1.4 billion servings of cereal and snacks to children and families in need around the world. To learn more, visit www.kelloggcompany.com or follow us on Twitter @KelloggCompany, YouTube and on Social K.
About Girl Up
Girl Up, the United Nations Foundation’s adolescent girl campaign, supports the empowerment of girls everywhere. Since its launch in 2010, the campaign has funded UN programs that promote the health, safety, education, and leadership of girls in developing countries and built a community of nearly half a million passionate advocates – including Girl Up Global Advocates Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and Latin American business leader Angélica Fuentes.
Our youth leaders, representing more than 1400 Girl Up Clubs in 85 countries, stand up, speak up, and rise up to support the hardest to reach girls living in places where it is hardest to be a girl.
Learn more at GirlUp.org.
About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: www.unfoundation.org.
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1 On behalf of Special K, Edelman Intelligence surveyed over 6,000 women across Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Women aged 21-55 were spoken to via a quantitative online survey fielded between December 2015 and January 2016. Each market sample was nationally representative of the online population.
