Chapter 01

Women Wield
the Wallet

Despite the long-held belief that men manage financial decisions in their households, it's women who hold most of the purchasing power. Three out of four women responding to our survey indicated they make most of the purchases in their household—a figure on par with other national estimates. If these data are accurate, women’s perception of their leadership role in household spending is more accurate than the perceptions of their male peers.

women hold a disproportionate ratio of U.s. purchasing power

77%

of women report doing “most of the purchasing in their households”

household purchasing power

77%

19%

4%

Women Report That...

they are doing "most of the purchasing in their household"

purchasing is
equally divided

Their partner is doing
"Most of the purchasing
In the household"

purchasing power perception by gender

Men
Underestimate

women’s purchasing power within their household

purchasing power perception by gender

Women

Report

77%

19%

4%

Men

Report

52%

38%

10%

They are doing "Most of the
purchasing in their household"

purchasing is
equally divided

Their partner is doing
"Most of the purchasing
In the household"

What this means for your organization

Ensure Women are Represented

Is your organization accurately accounting for the share of women in your target market? One key strategy is ensuring you have gender diversity on your teams to help illuminate the preferences of all consumers.

Up Next:

Women Are Conscious Consumers