Title: Gender roles and family decision making: a study of Indian automobile purchases

Authors: R.K. Srivastava, Beverlee B. Anderson

Addresses: Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research (SIMSR), Vidyanagar, Vidyavihar (E), Mumbai 400 077, India. ' Management and Marketing Department, California State University – San Marcos, San Marcos, CA 92096-0001, USA

Abstract: Marketers have traditionally used gender to segment markets. Due to socially prescribed gender roles some products are thought more suitable to target women, while others more suitable to males. For example, automobiles have been traditionally targeted towards males, assuming that it would be males who would be the influencers and deciders in the auto purchase decision. However, the recent past has seen a blurring of gender roles. More and more women are receiving college degrees and a large number of households have two wage earners – with the woman out-earning the male in a growing number of households. As the gender roles are changing in society, it is time to re-examine gender roles in purchase decisions, particularly with respect to automobiles – a traditionally male area. This study examines family decision-making roles involved in automobile purchases at four dealerships in Mumbai, India. The study examines the effect of age, education and income contribution on gender roles in the purchase decision. Findings show that among the younger better educated consumers, the wife|s influence is more pronounced.

Keywords: gender roles; automobile purchase; India; management; family decision making; market segmentation; households; female stereotypes; male stereotypes; education; wage earners; purchasing decisions; Mumbai; automobile dealerships; motor cars; age; income contribution; economics; service industries; marketing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSEM.2010.030914

International Journal of Services, Economics and Management, 2010 Vol.2 No.2, pp.109 - 120

Published online: 12 Jan 2010 *

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