Gender and Consumer Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Gender and Consumer Culture - Essay Example The culture of consumption is related with goods and products, where the purchase activities are largely grounded on the quality of the products and the value of its material usage. The difference in style possessed by different genders has therefore often been evaluated during the transitional phase, from pre-industrial economy to an industrialized and capitalistic economy, where the sole aim of the manufacturers was to maximise production and earn higher amount of revenue through the sales (Leonini & Santoro, 2004). It has further been observed that even though production dominated the earlier periods, in the modern era, consumer goods have gained its significance as the supreme factor which influences the purchasing behaviours of both the genders. In this context, shopping malls have replaced individual shops where the rudiments influencing consumers’ purchasing behaviour reflects immensely. Furthermore, from the perspectives of family, woman has been observed to spend thei r earnings towards fulfilling their family needs by a significant extent. Comparatively, men are generally noticed to keep aside a proportion of their earnings for their personal requirements. However, differences have aroused in situations where women are examined to be dependent on the earnings of the male members for the effective accomplishment of their family needs. Recent studies in this regard state that women are more concerned about the welfare of their family and children and thereby prefer spending for themselves after the needs of other family members have been attained. On the contrary, men have been identified to possess individualistic attitudes while considering the consumption choices (Leonini & Santoro, 2004). Emphasising on this conception, the study will evaluate the various factors that determine the consumption behaviour of both the genders. Furthermore, it will focus on identifying the relationships shared between consumption and gender analysing the ways in w hich the gender based perspectives tend to influence the consumption patterns amid customer groups. Literature Review According to Grazia & Furlough (1996), while decorating their homes, women not only focus on furnishings and attractive appliances, but also tend to consider the style and tastes of the other family members. Furthermore, women magazines, furnishings and marriage manuals have been an influencing commodity for the women consumers in deciding the consumption of its products. In relation to the modern day context, the development of departmental stores in major cities has further been observed to have re-defined the experiences of shopping for the female customers which was earlier considered as a highly-skilled task in regard to homemaking (Grazia & Furlough, 1996). However, Felski (1995) argued that although women consider themselves a prime source for decoration of households, they are the most irrational consumers, simply prone to wastefulness and extravagance when e ncountered with the attractive displays of products for sale (Felski, 1995). Thus, it can be stated that even though women are more concerned about family choices while consuming products, they are at times illogical while purchasing products, especially for the decoration purposes. This is because they cannot resist the attractive displays set up in the shopping malls which give them the opportunity to choose from a wide range of products. According to Veblen (1965), consumption is a symbolic act that evolved from the difficult distinction between ‘subordinate working people and dominant leisure classes’