Tupperware Brands Empowers Women in Indonesia According to New Study

Study confirms that Tupperware's business model builds Indonesian women's financial, professional and social capital; Indonesian women fully embrace their roles as entrepreneurs

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Tupperware Brands Corporation

Oct 29, 2013, 08:04 ET

ORLANDO, Fla. and JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) ― a portfolio of global direct selling companies, selling innovative, premium products across multiple brands and categories – announced findings from a new independent research study, "Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: A Study of the Impact of Tupperware Brands in Indonesia," that analyzes the economic and social impacts of the company's business model on its Indonesian sales force. Partnering for a second time with the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI), a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs on the independent study, Tupperware Brands Chairman and CEO Rick Goings presented the study's findings with GFI Program Director Halima Gellman at a press conference held in Jakarta today.

Chief among the findings is that 99 percent of Indonesian women report that their lives have changed for the better after working with Tupperware for at least three years, which is attributed to increased financial status, more self confidence in their abilities as professionals and homemakers, and greater respect at home and in the community. In particular, the financial benefits of selling Tupperware can be transformational, moving families into new income brackets, and the social and professional benefits are dramatic: Women experience a conversion from housewives with few activities outside the home to career women with pursuits, goals, dreams and plans to achieve them.

This study is part of a larger initiative by Tupperware Brands to benchmark the "Tupperware Effect" ― how training, supporting and financing women can change entire communities and nations – in its markets. The study, commissioned by Tupperware Brands and conducted by GFI and Indonesian survey firm DEKA, explored how the lives of women in Tupperware Brands' Indonesian sales force, its largest market in the world, are changed as a result of their work with the company. Last year, GFI conducted the first of these studies on Tupperware Brands' Mexico market.

"The strength of our brand and flexibility of our business model have allowed us to develop a strong business that works well in both emerging and established markets – providing women across the globe with opportunities to achieve personal, social and economic empowerment," said Goings. "This study of Indonesia, as well as our prior findings in Mexico, suggests that Tupperware's effect on empowering women is universal and occurs regardless of geography, culture or religion. We know, and research has shown, that investing in women pays significant economic dividends, and we are thrilled that our investments in Indonesia are clearly paying off."

The study included interviews with 800 Tupperware Indonesia saleswomen who had been with the company for at least three years in six Indonesian cities. Top-line study findings include:

Tupperware Brands increases women's financial status and solvency. 97 percent of women have felt a positive change in their financial situation, and 70 percent reported having the ability to save their earnings. Additionally, more than 54 percent are now better able to support their children's needs; 47 percent can support their husband financially and supplement the household income; and more than half (59 percent) contribute to household expenses.
Women elevate their families' purchasing power. As Tupperware helps saleswomen improve their socioeconomic levels, their expenditure and purchasing power increases. Sixty-four percent of Tupperware families have monthly expenditures that exceed $485 compared to only 30 percent of average Indonesia households.
Women become role models and inspirational figures at home and in the community. As Tupperware Brands helps women achieve financial independence and success, a large majority of saleswomen (71 percent) reported a change in their family dynamic. Nearly half of women feel that they are more admired and appreciated in the home (45 percent) and have become role models for their children (49 percent).
Women in the sales force embrace their roles as entrepreneurs and are committed to the brand. A large majority (77 percent) of women reinvest a portion of their earnings in building their business, showing they view Tupperware as a career or personal business, not a way to meet basic needs.
Tupperware's business model helps women become leaders and feel more confident in their abilities. Saleswomen find that after working with Tupperware, they are better able to manage the duties of mother, housewife and entrepreneur. Specifically, they highlight Tupperware trainings and opportunities for rewards and recognition, domestic and international travel, and interactions with people in higher socioeconomic brackets as confidence builders. Nearly half of the respondents noted that working with Tupperware helped them cultivate greater determination to achieve their goals (48 percent) and greater confidence in their ability to solve problems they encounter (42 percent). Likewise, women reported that Tupperware trainings enhanced their time management and communication skills and character development – three areas they were successfully able to transfer to their domestic duties.
Indonesian women support a culture of giving. The company's strong corporate social responsibility programs, combined with its built-in networking and mentorship opportunities, create a culture of giving among the women. Forty-five percent report that Tupperware has changed their lives by making them care more for others, and 57 percent said that Tupperware has given them the opportunity to change other people's lives for the better.

"As we've seen in both our Indonesia and Mexico studies, Tupperware saleswomen develop holistically," said Caleb Shreve, Executive Director of Global Fairness Initiative. "A woman in the Tupperware business builds professional skills and social networks that help her grow into a successful entrepreneur. With this success comes financial empowerment, and the ability for her to invest in her home, her community and the growth of her business. This professional and financial growth is enabled by the personal growth she experiences, a growth of self-confidence, independence, and pride, all of which are fundamental to her success. In Indonesia – a country where traditional roles for women are largely domestic – we found that Tupperware has created a safe, entrepreneurial space where women can find financial independence and develop careers outside of the domestic sphere."

Comparative Findings: Indonesia and Mexico

According to the report, the "Tupperware Effect" is felt more strongly by the Indonesian sales force compared to Mexico. "Most significantly, an Indonesian saleswoman feels more deeply connected to and supported by her fellow saleswomen; expresses a stronger sense of personal 'place' in her community; invests more in her enterprise; has greater purchasing power; and directly gives back, both personally and financially, to her community," the report concludes.

Like their counterparts in Mexico, saleswomen in Indonesia saw increased personal, social and economic empowerment. Similar numbers of women reported that their financial status had improved as a result of joining the company. Additionally, an Indonesian Tupperware saleswoman tends to earn a higher income relative to comparable professional salaries. For example, while Tupperware Mexico's saleswomen may earn as much as a mid-level professional in Mexico City, an Indonesian saleswoman is capable of matching the salary of a manager-level professional in Jakarta.

Women in both countries use their income to pay for household needs, increase savings, and reinvest in their business. In addition, both groups of women, approximately three-quarters, reported a positive change in family relationships after joining Tupperware. Outside of the home, both groups of women reported significant improvements in social status. While Indonesian women also see their place in the family as the primary focus, they emphasize their recognition in the wider community more than their counterparts in Mexico.

Financial impact: Nearly all women (97 percent) have felt a positive change in their financial situation. Nearly half (47 percent) can support their husband financially and supplement the household income

Professional impact: 48 percent of respondents noted that working with Tupperware helped them cultivate greater determination to achieve their goals and greater confidence in their ability to solve problems they encounter (42 percent)

Personal Impact: Nearly half of women feel that they are more admired and appreciated in the home (45 percent) and have become role models for their children (49 percent)

Societal impact: 57 percent said that Tupperware has given them the opportunity to change other people's lives for the better

About Tupperware Brands Corporation
Tupperware Brands Corporation is a portfolio of global direct selling companies, selling innovative, premium products across multiple brands and categories through an independent sales force of 2.8 million. Product brands and categories include design-centric preparation, storage and serving solutions for the kitchen and home through the Tupperware brand and beauty and personal care products for consumers through the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller Cosmetics, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, and Nuvo brands.

About the Global Fairness Initiative
The Global Fairness Initiative (GFI) promotes a more equitable, sustainable approach to economic development for the world's working poor by advancing fair wages, equal access to markets, and balanced public policy to generate opportunity and end the cycle of poverty. For more information, visit www.globalfairness.org.

About DEKA
DEKA Marketing Research is one of the largest market research agencies in Indonesia. It is the largest Indonesian independent research agency in the country, with 20 years of experience in market research. DEKA is the 1st market research agency in Indonesia, which has been certified for ISO 20252: 2006. DEKA is a member of the European Society for Market Research for over 15 years. Managing Director of DEKA was a country representative of ESOMAR in Indonesia for two periods. DEKA is also a member of IRIS (International Research Institutes), a worldwide network of independent research agencies with 30 members in 307 countries, and a member of PERPI (Perhimpunan Riset Pemasaran Indonesia). DEKA's Managing Director is a founder and sitting as Chairman I of PERPI.

About the Study
From February 2013 to August 2013, the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI), a Washington, DC-based non-governmental organization that works to promote more equitable, sustainable approaches to economic development, partnered with DEKA, an Indonesian survey firm, to explore how women's lives are affected through their work with Tupperware Brands. Using an established set of quantitative and qualitative tools—including focus groups, surveys, and field observations—GFI and DEKA collected and analyzed data on the lives and livelihoods of over 800 Indonesian women in the Tupperware sales force.

Media Contacts:
Elinor Steele, Tupperware Brands
(407) 826-8448
[email protected]

Atalanta Rafferty, RF Binder for Tupperware
(212) 994-7511
[email protected]

SOURCE Tupperware Brands Corporation