Men and Women Spend Differently

In the best of times, money ranks high as a source of marital conflict. In hard times, men’s greater willingness to spend and women’s propensity to hold back on spending have the potential of making hard times harder.

Consumables

During the seven months ending in March—which includes five recession months—men were more willing to spend freely for food, clothing and other consumables than women.

Specifically, the Index that tracks consumer willingness to spend freely on consumable products is seventeen points higher for men (93) than for women (76).

The spending gap between men and women is most extreme for clothing (117 for men and 85 for women or 32 points); next greatest for food (22); and relatively small for gasoline (7 points) and medical expenses (5 points).

Major Goods

During these same seven months, men’s greater propensity than women’s to spend for cars, housing, appliances and other major goods was more extreme than was the case for consumable goods.

Specifically, the Index tracking active shopping—checking prices, reading ads, visiting dealers—for major goods was 115 for men and 80 for women. The 35 point gender gap for major goods is twice the 17-point gap seen for consumable spending.

The gender gap for active shopping is largest for televisions (111 points), followed by personal computers (57 points) and used cars (45 points).

Lesser gaps exist for new cars (36-point gap), houses (32), appliances (27), stays at hotels/motels (29), air travel (15), and furniture (2).

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