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

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.