News:

To return to the forum homepage, please click the banner at the top of your browser.

Main Menu

Do women or men spend more money?

Started by KentBnntt, July 03, 2019, 07:10:08 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

KentBnntt

My wife and I often argue about this question, especially after she, in my opinion, buys a lot of unnecessary things. She always calls these spendings as the 'needs', although I consider them more as the 'wants'.

Logan Allec

Hmm...this is a loaded question and obviously one that has a factual, research-based answer that I won't really delve into because, well, I haven't the done the research.

But I'm getting the gist that this post is somewhat anecdotal, so I will say that in my anecdotal observations of my married friends who maintain more or less "traditional" gender roles, the men and the women have very different perspectives on money.

I don't think this is innate as much as it is a result of circumstance.

For example, let's say that the husband has a middle class office job outside the home that he hates but that pays the bills, and the wife stays home with the children.

Now let's say this family magically comes into a passive income stream of say $20,000 per month.

How will the husband's life change, or how could it potentially change?  Drastically.  He now has, at the very least, the financial option of finding a job that may not pay as much as his current position but is more sane than his current work situation.  Or he may choose to work part-time or maybe even not at all.

How will the wife's life change?  Not so much.  She'll still be at home with the children.  Sure, if the husband takes an easier job, he will be home more to care for the children and take care of things around the house, but the change in her life will be far less drastic than the change to his life.  This is an extra $20,000 per month, not an extra $200,000.

This is one reason why I think that more men are interested in saving money to invest in passive income streams than women.

carlosrosado

An interesting investigate by Haiyan Hu, Ph.D. & Cynthia R. Jasper, Ph.D of Men and Women: A comparison of shopping mall behavior (https://docsbay.net/men-and-women-a-comparison-of-shopping-mall-behavior), you may interested of:
Although the majority of today's mall shppers are women, the number of male shoppers is increasing. This article investigated the gender differences in terms of mall shpping behavior and examined whether today's shopping malls have done a good job catering to both genders. In-depth personal interviews were conducted to collect consumers' accounts of their experiences in shopping malls. Based on the analyses of consumer responses, we compared the following aspects between men and women:(1)shopping motives, (2)mall shopping behaviors,(3)outcomes of mall shopping, such as enjoyment and relevance of mall shopping to consumer's lifestyle.

Young And The Invested

With a sample of 2 (my wife and I), I can say she spends more than me.  However, I'm considerably frugal, and often forgo a lot of purchases, even when they might be enjoyable and beneficial.

Some examples which come to mind are travel, dining out, and entertainment.  These are often things I overlook and tend to appreciate when she prioritizes.  Doubtful this contributes much toward the original question but thought I'd offer anecdotal evidence.
https://youngandtheinvested.com/

KentBnntt

Quote from: Young And The Invested on July 13, 2019, 05:30:15 PM
Some examples which come to mind are travel, dining out, and entertainment.  These are often things I overlook and tend to appreciate when she prioritizes.  Doubtful this contributes much toward the original question but thought I'd offer anecdotal evidence.

Oh, how I understand you! My wife also sets these priorities and sometimes I'm really thankful for that.

Sam

My wife hardly spends any money. Her favorite store is Target, not Gucci, thank goodness! And even then, we only go to Target maybe once a year. She's been spending mostly on baby and toddler stuff over the past 2 years now.

It's a little tricky for us since we both don't have steady day jobs. We're also both pretty conservative. But we need to spend more now in the second half of our lives.
Regards,

Sam

Leigh

Quote from: Logan Allec on July 07, 2019, 11:57:05 AM
Hmm...this is a loaded question and obviously one that has a factual, research-based answer that I won't really delve into because, well, I haven't the done the research.

But I'm getting the gist that this post is somewhat anecdotal, so I will say that in my anecdotal observations of my married friends who maintain more or less "traditional" gender roles, the men and the women have very different perspectives on money.

I don't think this is innate as much as it is a result of circumstance.

For example, let's say that the husband has a middle class office job outside the home that he hates but that pays the bills, and the wife stays home with the children.

Now let's say this family magically comes into a passive income stream of say $20,000 per month.

How will the husband's life change, or how could it potentially change?  Drastically.  He now has, at the very least, the financial option of finding a job that may not pay as much as his current position but is more sane than his current work situation.  Or he may choose to work part-time or maybe even not at all.

How will the wife's life change?  Not so much.  She'll still be at home with the children.  Sure, if the husband takes an easier job, he will be home more to care for the children and take care of things around the house, but the change in her life will be far less drastic than the change to his life.  This is an extra $20,000 per month, not an extra $200,000.

This is one reason why I think that more men are interested in saving money to invest in passive income streams than women.



Just curious about this statement. $20,000 a month is a lot of money. I can assure you, speaking as a woman, a financial counselor, and a mom with grown children...if we had suddenly had $20,000 extra per month, I would have hired a part time nanny so I could have gotten out of the house more. We would have eaten out a lot, taken many more trips, I would have started a company.  Trust me....women who raised their kids at home are worked to death and would see that windfall as an opportunity just as much as the dad would.

EmilyMorgan

I think it depends more on habits and viewpoints rather than sex.

There are definitely men who spend more money than some women do.

Although women are more emotional, that's the fact! So, some of us are really impulsive shoppers  :)

As for me, I usually try not to spend money on impulse. It's better to delay some purchases and they really turn to be not so necessary as it seemed yesterday.

Sam

I've been thinking about this topic more recently. My wife is definitely the spender, and she has to order a lot of family items and so forth. My goal is to try to make money Faster than she can spend it.
Regards,

Sam

WengerTodd

I'm always down for some good ole' stereotype discussions, but I've thought about this before, and I think it has much more to do with how you are raised, and your influences.

To some degree, the same personality trait that causes people to become addicts, also causes people to just go crazy buying stuff and getting themselves into debt without any consideration for the repercussions.

That aside, I think there's two main factors:

1 - Upbringing
2 - Self esteem


Upbringing isn't the end-all be all, but I've seen that many people who are raised in a lower income household, that have never had nice things growing up, tend to be more likely to frivolously buy things "just because." That in itself isn't a defining factor either, because people who grow up in wealthy households often times do not have the same respect for money as their parents did, and will often become irresponsible. But again, it's not a steadfast rule. The one thing is for certain though... when the family (regardless of economic-status) actively teaches financial responsibility to the children, they are less likely to grow up being irresponsible.

Self-esteem is also another issue, but equally as common. There are two perspectives to consider... the first is that buying things can provide that chemical reaction in the brain in the same manner that eating a lot of junk food and candy will. More simply put... it makes people feel good to buy stuff, just as an unhealthy person might eat a lot of food.... because it makes them feel good. The other aspect, which is very often what causes us into financial irresponsibility, is the "perception." This self-esteem / psychological issue is often the same thing that drives the mentality I mentioned under upbringing. They say people are wealthy because of what they keep, not what they earn... but a lot of that has to do with self confidence too. Wealthy people often drive really conservative vehicles, such as Camrys, Ford Explorers, and Ford F-150s... vehicles like that. Before I go any further though, please do not mistake cultural influences. I'm Hispanic, and pretty much every wealthy Hispanic male and female in Miami that just moved here from Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil (escaping Socialism) has a Bentley, Mercedes AMG, Porsche 911, Maserati Ghibli, or Lamborghini Gallardo. It's more a cultural thing than what I'm referring to in regards to perception. When I talk about perception, there is an "insecurity" that many people have when they buy expensive things. They need to have a very expensive car... and the *appearance* of cost is generally more important than quality. Likewise, these types of individuals will spend $300 on a pair of dress shoes, and they'll let you know pretty quickly how much they spent on these shoes... even though they are nearly identical to a $50 pair at BASS.


So, the important thing is to figure out what specifically is the influencer.

My wife for example, is very good with money. Her family weren't poor, but they were very frugal and her father was very responsible with his money to ensure his family was taken care of. They spent money on important things, like education. When my wife graduated high school, he made her go to Community College first (which he paid for), and then paid for her to go the next two years at University of Florida, which he completely paid for. But he made her buy her first car, and her insurance. He also told her to get a job when she was old enough, and helped her save money.

SteveGood

Hi,


I think men and women will spend money even. If you search this question on Google, they show the answer Men spend more money and Women spend more money like that mixed result.