Recent research questions women’s buying power

A longstanding marketing adage is women control 80 percent or more of household spending. For at least two decades, this number has repeatedly popped up in the media. And as with many oft-repeated statistics, no one is sure where it originated, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In addition to having murky origins, the number appears to be wrong. Several recent surveys suggest that men have nearly equal say on spending, and that when men and women live together, both participate in spending decisions.

In a survey conducted last year of nearly 4,000 Americans 16 and older by Futures Co., a London consulting firm, just 37 percent of women said they have primary responsibility for shopping decisions in their household, while 85 percent said they have primary or shared responsibility. The respective figures for men were similar: 31 percent and 84 percent.

"These data tell a different story" than the statistics suggesting women control at least 80 percent of spending, says Futures Co.'s director of marketing Emily Parenti.

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