Secret Deodorant Brings Relief to Over 100,000 Women and Their Families with YWCA Partnership

Donation coincides with the launch of “Secret Superhero Moms” docuseries dedicated to women who continue to shoulder the burden of the pandemic

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of a $1 million pledge to help foster gender equality, Secret Deodorant is helping to pay for childcare, workforce development and barrier reduction programs and services for more than 100,000 women and their families across the YWCA network. Spanning across 12 communities that continue to be impacted by the pandemic, the donation will aid YWCA to provide safe and affordable care for children and workforce development programs to ensure that moms are able to re-enter the workforce with family-sustaining jobs.

This latest installment of the Raise It Up campaign brings a docuseries entitled “Secret Superhero Moms,” as a portrayal of a working mother’s resilience to provide for her children despite financial hardships and career challenges. In partnership with the YWCA, Secret is shining a light on the perseverance of three real-life superhero moms, using the video series to drive awareness of its belief that women and their families shouldn’t have to sweat childcare.

"When the December job loss report showed 100% of the 140,000 job losses belonged to women¹, it was a breaking point,” said Sara Saunders, Senior Brand Director, Secret & Gillette. "As a result of the pandemic, women - especially women of color - have been forced to scale back or leave their jobs, further exacerbating existing economic and racial disparities. Through our partnership with YWCA, we are creating tangible solutions and a meaningful impact by supporting their mission in providing essential childcare resources.”

The brand commissioned a survey to understand how children viewed their moms. Conducted among children between the ages of 8-12, Secret found that 97% of children agree their mom is their superhero. When asked of their moms’ super abilities, 74% of kids said their moms are always there to help them, 66% said they always fix problems, and 54% said they always get the job done.

“These women are role models in their communities, and most importantly, superheroes to their children,” said Elisha Rhodes, Interim CEO, YWCA USA. “We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Secret and what they continue to do to embolden women everywhere. We hope these childcare development programs help lift a weight off the shoulders of many other families.”

With the support of YWCA, Secret produced a docuseries capturing a glimpse of what moms’ face while reminding them that they, too, are superheroes. The series highlights three superheroes from across the nation who, despite their stories of adversity, remain resilient.

• Chelena - Superpower: Intuition
  An effervescent single mom of five (two sets of twins) in St. Louis whose spirit lights up any darkness. Despite sacrificing her career to take care of an ill child, Chelena remains a spiritual beacon for those around her.
• Martha - Superpower: Bravery
  A loving mother of four in Elgin, IL working two jobs, 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Martha immigrated to the US and despite insurmountable setbacks continues to inspire those around her.
• Tali - Superpower: Strength
  As a front-line healthcare worker in Atlanta, Tali uses scrubs as her costume, PPE as her armor and nasal swabs as her weapon. After her husband was forced to quit his job to take care of their two children, Tali continued taking care of her family and patients while also dealing with the tremendous personal loss of her own Superhero mom.

“Secret has a history of taking action to advance pivotal societal conversations with programs like the Women’s Soccer Equal Pay program and the Kick Inequality Super Bowl ad that aim to empower and support women," stated Freddy Bharucha, senior vice president, North America Personal Care, Procter & Gamble. "The next chapter of the multi-phased Raise It Up initiative continues our commitment to helping move towards a world of gender equality through equal compensation and equal representation. We will further dedicate our efforts to be a force for good, to come together and do more for communities and equality."

Secret believes women shouldn’t have to sweat childcare. Join the conversation and highlight the superhero in your life tagging #SecretSuperheroMom and @SecretDeodorant. Follow Secret on Instagram (@SecretDeodorant), Twitter (@SecretDeodorant) and YouTube (YouTube.com/SecretDeodorant). For more from Secret, visit Secret.com.

About the Survey

The Secret Superheroes Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 500 Nationally Representative U.S. Children, Ages 8-12, between February 10th and February 18th, 2021, and among 1,004 Nationally Representative U.S. Adults, Ages 18+, between February 18th and February 22nd, 2021, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the audiences. The margin of error is +/- 4.4% for the children sample and +/- 3.1% for the adult sample.

About YWCA

YWCA USA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. We are one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, serving over two million women, girls, and their families each year. YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for more than 160 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy in order to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls.

About Secret

Secret® was the first antiperspirant brand designed specifically for women, and for the past 60 years, Secret® has been on the forefront of women’s lives, leading with innovation designed to provide superior odor and wetness protection. Through the years, the brand has proudly supported women’s advancement and equality through its campaigns and communications. Its latest campaign, “All Strength, No Sweat,” is a continuation of this commitment to women, celebrating those who boldly challenge the status quo, push through barriers and stand up for what they believe in, without “sweating” the obstacles that may come their way. Secret® challenges women everywhere to be all strength, no sweat.

About P&G’s 2,021 Acts of Good in 2021

At P&G, fostering equality and inclusion, supporting our communities and protecting the planet is embedded in how we do business. We believe we have a responsibility to make the world better — through the products we create and the positive impact our brands and Company can have. Under our Lead with Love campaign, P&G and its brands like Secret have committed to 2,021 acts of good this year. In the U.S., consumers can do even more through P&G Good Everyday, a new consumer rewards program that helps turn everyday actions into acts of good. Activity on the website earns points that can be redeemed for rewards; as consumers report their own acts of good, P&G makes donations to causes consumers care about.

¹ U.S. Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics, December, 2020. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm