IDEX Online Research: Jewelers - Target Female Self-Purchasers

Television in the 1950s liked to portray the quintessential American family as one where Dad went off to work each day in a suit and tie (which he also wore for dinner each night), Mom stayed home and cooked three hot meals a day (along with sewing the children’s clothing and cleaning the house), and the two children – an older boy and a younger girl – always had perfect manners and didn’t sass their parents. 

That family model was probably a myth back then; for sure, it is a myth today. In the current environment, less than 10% of American families reflect this model where Dad is the sole wage earner, Mom stays home and there are children under 18 years of age still at home. 

While James Dobson and his Focus on the Family followers are probably unhappy with this family model, it is good news for jewelers: more women than ever before work outside of the home and now have the discretionary income to buy jewelry for themselves. 

Women Control America’s Purse Strings

When it comes to shopping, women control the purse strings of America. It has been estimated that women influence up to 95% of all purchase decisions made in the U.S., and they actually make as many as 85% of those purchases themselves. 

Not only is today’s American woman in control of her household’s spending, but she also has more of her own discretionary income than ever before, especially in households with two wage earners.