Spending Behaviour, Preferences and Pattern of Working and Non-Working Women: A Comparative Analysis with Special Reference to Punjab State

Abstract

Women are the major consumer segment at present and their purchase behaviour greatly shapes the marketing strategies. An exploration of the underlying factors that influence their spending decisions will help the marketers in developing the products and processes as per the varied preferences. Present study is an attempt to look in to the buying behaviour of women as per their work status. For this purpose, a survey was carried out among 150 working and 150 non-working women from urban areas of the state of Punjab. Sample was selected by stratified sampling so as to have representation from both the segments. Respondents were selected from upper and middle income strata. They belonged to different age groups and familial backgrounds. They differed in their marital status and qualification levels. Working women comprised of professionals, self-employed and the ones having salaried jobs. Respondents were asked to fill a questionnaire regarding their spending behaviour. Chi-square test was used to test association between work status and spending habits. It was found that work status was significantly associated with spending habits of women. Chi-square test also revealed significant association between work status and purchase preferences. Independent samples t-test was applied to test whether there was any considerable difference in share of spending across various categories for working and non-working women. Test results proved that there was significant difference among the two segments of women in this respect. All the results were significant at 5 per cent level of significance. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for carrying out calculations. Marketing agencies can use this information to design better products for targeted segment.