Sex Role Egalitarianism and Relative Spousal Influence in Household Purchase Decisions

Abstract

Gender roles today are in a state of transition. The different roles being performed by husband and wife in Indian families are no longer confined to the traditional way of thinking. With changes taking place in the status of women through education, employment, etc., the attitude and perception of husbands and wives towards gender roles is getting transformed. These changes in gender role perception are impacting the dynamics of decision making for purchase in Indian families. This paper analyses the effect of sex role egalitarianism of husband and wife on the relative spousal influence across different stages of the decision-making process for buying different categories of products and services. The study was conducted using the survey method. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from a sample of 400 couples. The findings of the study clearly show that the presence of egalitarian beliefs in the husband or wife increases the influence of the wife in family purchase decisions and vice versa.