In a typical household, the real tech head in the family isn’t the one who shaves his face every day.
In fact, women are more likely than men to buy three out of the four top-selling consumer electronics devices: tablets, laptops and smartphones, Mashable.com reports.
So much for the male gadget-obsession theory.
A survey conducted in late 2011 by Parks Associates asked 2,000 adults which products they intended to buy before January 1, 2012. The women planned to buy tablets (18 per cent), laptops (20 per cent) and smartphones (20 per cent). Among the men, however, only 15 per cent intended to buy a tablet, 14 per cent planned to get a laptop and 17 per cent were in the market for a smartphone.
Flat screen LCD TVs were the only category that interested men (19 per cent) more than women (17 per cent).
Although the tech industry is still dominated by men, “women are really the powerhouse in the household driving purchase decisions,” Jill Braff, executive VP of digital commerce for retailer HSN, told Mashable.
What’s more, women are heavier users of technology at home – and more likely than men to watch full-length movies online, download music and upload photos online, the survey found.
Even in the gaming arena, multi-player games are more likely to interest women (54 per cent) than men (45 per cent).
“This is not surprising,” Ms. Braff said. “Women love to communicate and interact with others and online entertainment is becoming an extension of that.”
The survey results echo earlier polls. According to a 2011 study by Harris Interactive, 55 per cent of online gamers are women – and presumably they need gadgets to play all those shooter games.
And back in 2009, Fast Company reported that women buy 57 per cent of all consumer electronics, and warned men that “if you really want that cool new 60-inch flat screen, you’ll have to get it by your house’s electronic major domo first.”
Harsh.
When it comes to electronics purchases, who wears the pants in your family?
Editor's note: An earlier version of this blog incorrectly stated that HSN commissioned the Parks Associates study. This version has been corrected.
