Why Men Don't Like Shopping and (Most) Women Do

Why Men Don't Like Shopping and (Most) Women Do

The origins of our attitudes toward shopping

Published on February 14, 2014 by Steve Taylor, Ph.D. in Out of the Darkness

Do you like shopping? The answer may partly depend on one factor: whether you are male or female. Of course, it’s a generalization to say that, "Women like shopping, men don’t"—I’m sure we all know people this doesn’t apply to (my wife, for example, doesn’t particularly like shopping). However, there is evidence that this isn’t a complete myth. A survey of 2,000 British people conducted in 2013 found that men become bored after only 26 minutes of shopping, while it took women a full two hours. The survey found that 80 percent of men didn't like shopping with their partners, and that 45 percent avoiding doing so at all costs. Almost half of all spousal shopping trips ended in arguments, with men becoming frustrated because they bought what they needed straight away, while their partners were still looking and taking too long to make decisions.If there is some validity to these generalizations - and if they are more than just the result of social conditioning - where could these different attitudes to shopping stem from? ...(Continue reading here)