A hundred years is an awfully long time. I often think about how the world now must look to someone who was born in 1918. And how they must think we’ve all gone mad. We take photos of ourselves on a device we carry around in our pocket, before sharing these photos with people we don’t even know. We spend time conversing with a slab of plastic and glass, one small children are often more proficient with.

Putting technology aside for a minute, what would they think of the gender balance? In 1918, the Representation of the People Act was introduced which granted some women over 30 and all men over 21 the right to vote. This was a transformative bill, made possible because of the powerful Suffrage movement, which brought about an enormous amount of change in the way that women were seen and treated. Women were now individuals and, as such, consumers in their own right.

But in 2018, how are we doing? Are we really listening to what women really, truly want? This is the question posed in a new exhibition backed by Kantar called What Women Want, which examines how women have been viewed as consumers over the last century.

The exhibition is a celebration of some amazing examples of marketing over the last century, offering a view of how the representation of women in advertising has changed. It aims to showcase a deep understanding of the female consumer, drawing from history whilst also looking to the future.

As Muhtar Kent, Chairman of the Board and CEO at Coca-Cola has said, “Smart organisations – and those that succeed over the next decade and beyond – will understand that the 21^st Century is the ‘Women’s Century’. Women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurial growth will drive the world’s economy. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ – but rather a matter of ‘to what heights.’”

What Women Want runs until 30^th November at Noho Studios, London. Visit the exhibition’s website to find out more.