Female Consumers’ Clothing-related Attribute Expectations Differ According to Their Gender Identities

Abstract

It is necessary to determine the factors that affect consumers’ preferences in the ready-made clothing sector, where competition is intense. Gender is accepted as one of the most fundamental factors affecting purchas­ing decisions not only in the ready-made clothing industry, but also in many other sectors. However, rapidly changing environmental conditions require going beyond traditional patterns in explaining consumption be­haviors. Accordingly, the concept of gender, which is socially constructed, has also been conceptualized from a psychological point of view. In this study, the concept of gender was based on psychological foundations and it was investigated whether female consumers’ clothing-related attribute expectations differ according to their gender identities. Questionnaires created in line with the purpose of the study were applied to 393 people who were selected by convenience sampling. The data were collected through a face-to-face survey. Research hypotheses were tested with ANOVA analysis. As a result of the research, it was found that female consumers’ clothing-related attribute expectations differ according to gender identities. In the literature, no study has been found that examines the changes in the clothing-related expectations of female consumers according to their gender identity roles. In this context, it is expected that the study will make significant contributions to both the managers in the clothing sector and academics.