News / People
GirlsAskGuys Study Reveals Men More Likely Than Women to Splurge on Significant Others For Holiday Gifts
88 Percent of Females in the Poll Indicated They Would Spend Less Than $300 for Their Partner
Men are more likely to shell out the big bucks for their significant other while women tend to keep a tighter rein on holiday spending, according a new study by GirlsAskGuys (GirlsAskGuys.com).
According to the new survey of 1,379 respondents (549 males, 830 females) in the GirlsAskGuys.com community during the month of November, nearly half of women surveyed (49 percent) plan to spend less than $100 on gifts for their significant other, while 44 percent of men reported a willingness to spend between $100 and $300 on a gift for their significant other, with 40 percent saying they would spend less than $100.
“It wasn’t immediately clear exactly what the discrepancy is between the holiday spending patterns of men versus women,” said Tolga Tanriseven, CEO of GirlsAskGuys. “But it is obvious that men are willing to shell out more money than women, and significant others should keep that in mind when devising a wish-list or hinting at desired items for the holiday.”
The study also found that few people plan to spend “significant” sums on their significant others during the holiday season. Just 12 percent of women indicated they would spend more than $300 for a gift for their significant other (7 percent will spend $300-$500 and only 5 percent will spend more than $500). Meanwhile, 16 percent of men indicated they will spend more than $300 (6 percent will spend $300-$500 and 10 percent will spend $500).
Potential reasons for the discrepancy may revolve around several factors:
-Difference in incomes: In 2013, the median earnings for men working full-time was $50,033 compared to $39,157 for women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Therefore, men simply have more disposable income than women to spend on gifts for the holidays.
-Technology: For the first time, the National Retail Federation (NRF) asked individuals before the holiday season to indicate how comfortable people were in using technology to pay for merchandise. About 32.6 percent of men indicated feeling somewhat or very comfortable, compared to 22.5 percent of women. Given that the added convenience of technology tends to lead people to spend more, men may simply shell out more money due to this.
-Cost of goods: Studies have shown that women’s goods, even ones very similar in nature to men’s, generally cost more. This discrepancy has come to light when in November the French Finance Ministry agreed to look into what a leading French women’s group calls “the invisible women’s tax.”
-Customs: The holiday season isn’t the only time where men spend more than women for their significant other. The NRF notes that for Valentine’s Day in 2014, men planned to spend an average of $108.38 for their partner, more than double the $49.41 women planned to spend. Like the old-fashioned custom of having the man pay on the first date, it continues to be simply more customary for men to pay more for their partner than women.
About GirlsAskGuys:
With more than 10 million monthly users, GirlsAskGuys is the most trusted online information portal for questions and advice about the opposite sex, leveraging the curiosity of an ever-expanding social community in which girls and guys of varied backgrounds discuss a wide array of lifestyle issues – providing candid, practical advice by sharing experiences and opinions. For more information, visit http://www.girlsaskguys.com.
Media Contact:
Samuel Weigley, Elasticity
Sam(at)goelastic(dot)com
314-494-9011
