The Role of Gender in Consumer Behavior
Needs, wants, motives, values and actions are all critical components of the human experience. Who we are is very much a combination of our experiences and our genetic code. In this context, understanding the role of gender role in society is extremely important when looking at how people perceive and react to various stimuli. This paper reviews how males and females differ biologically, psychologically and culturally, and how these factors can influence consumer behavior. Due to the complexity of this issue (e.g. ethnic background, family value system, mother/infant relationship, sibling/parental interactions, position as first-, second-, third-born child, sociocultural interaction), the scope of this research will generalize based on U.S. norms with a primary focus on early gender development, especially as it relates to cognitive development.
While biological and physiological differences define the sexual differences between male and female, the term gender relates to "The set of arrangements by which a society transforms biological sexuality into products of human activity, and in which these transformed needs are satisfied" (Reiter 1975). There is much debate over which came first, biology or behavior. For instance, were males born stronger and therefore became the predominant hunter, or were they born with a hunting instinct and later developed the physical attributes required for this activity. While it is the author's opinion that most likely, both behavior and biology evolved slowly, reacting to environmental factors - the fact remains the men and women are different.
Hormonally, male androgens and female estrogens and progesterones are found in differing concentrations at birth but these levels ris ...