The female factor
The Female Factor is a national survey, conducted over a period of one year by ELLE magazine, tasked with the challenge of investigating the current state of women - who they are, where they stand, what they want.
This will be a detailed investigation into the issues and concerns that women face in South Africa today. Real-life accounts will be extracted through intimate focus groups, print and online polls, and sms responses to on-air debates, all with the aim to effect historic and lawful changes in the lives of SA women.
The model of the successful survey completed by ELLE France in 1970, and again in 2010, will be used to guide The Female Factor and its outcomes in SA in 2011.
Elle is inviting the Minister of Women, Children and Disabilities, along with other female cabinet ministers, to take part in this survey and be the recipients of the rich data that we will harness after a ten-month investigation.
The support and endorsement of the Minister of Women, Children and Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, will be invaluable to giving such a survey the credibility it needs to harness the attention of the women in our country to share their views and experiences.
Below is a project plan detailing the roll-out of the survey, as well as a list of proposed editors who will join the attending cabinet ministers for a lunch to at The Westcliff Hotel in July 2011. The high-profile gathering, hosted by ELLE magazine, will ensure that the debate is kick-started by the most influential female members of the public and private sector.
Women in business, opinion leaders, artists and celebrities will also later be invited to on-air debates to continue the national dialogue vital to the compilation of rich and accurate data, needed for The White Book, which we propose to hand to the Minister in February 2012.
April 12-14: Focus groups Johannesburg
May 25: Media launch
• Elle June edition feature spread and cover promotion
• Elle website, Twitter and Facebook platforms
• The Times and e.tv drive public to the online/print survey
• Press release to all radio stations/newspapers/bloggers
May 25-June 30: Drive the online/print survey through all mediums available: Elle, The Times, ETV, social media
July 7: Female SA Cabinet Ministers and female SA editors Lunch - Westcliff Hotel
August 2011: (Womens Month) National Debates in JHB and CT in studio with e.tv's e-News Channel
August-Nov: Collation of data, compilation of White Book
February 2012: The Closing (or The Beginning) - The handover of the White Book
• Discussion and debate around propositions
• Commentary by editors and cabinet ministers
• Proposed outcomes and commitments by key private/public sector participants in the survey
April 2012: Post review of survey and its impact, release to media
Elle magazine in South Africa is happy to share our experience gained in such initiatives hosted by ELLE FRANCE, where the survey was extremely well-received.
Our media partner in this venture is e.tv.
We look forward to a successful survey in association with your title.
Date: 12 April 2011Venue: Johannesburg/Cape Town