The attitude towards role of women in every society is a function of the prevailing social norms. The roles governed for women by the society define the boundaries of participation and spheres of influence for them. Thus, gender role orientation affects the influence exerted by women in making decisions in families. Therefore, this article makes an attempt to examine the prevailing gender role norms for women in the Indian families and to identify if influences in making purchase decisions for durables vary across families with different orientations and the role of women at home and society.
An investigation of decision-making
in families is important to identify
the member(s) most vibrant in
making a purchase. While for some product
purchases husband may be most
influential, for others wife or other family
members may decide about all or most
dimensions of purchase. Participation of
wives in family decisions, besides other
factors, is essentially a function of attitude
of the family towards role of women in the
society. On the basis of division of power,
a family may be matriarchal, patriarchal,
or egalitarian. Indian society has
traditionally been patriarchal, but societal
and economic changes are making the
power structure in families more
egalitarian—where husbands and wives
participate almost equally in the
decision-making process (Bott, 1957;
Conklin, 1973). The marital power
structure in families determines the domain of spouses and other family
members within which they exercise
influence in purchase situations.
In traditional Indian families, the role of
wife was essentially confined to ‘domestic’
chores while the husband was assigned the ‘breadwinner’ role, thus following strict role
boundaries. This role orientation has been
seen to undergo a transformation over time
owing to influences from the West. While
some families have remained essentially
traditional in their lifestyles and thinking
following the traditional role patterns and
relationships; some others have adopted
more materialistic orientations, wherein
each individual in a family makes his own
decision. Yet, some proportion of families
has adopted ‘Hinglish’ kind of lifestyle,
which characterizes partial acceptance of
both cultures. |
