Indian consumers’ perception of gendered products and its influence on purchase decisions

Abstract

There is ongoing uproar on mass media channels about such price differentials being unfair towards women, as it penalizes them simply for being female. This problem worsens considering the gender pay gap, as the average woman must conform to feminine standards by paying more despite earning less than the average man. However, despite the negative connotations attached to gendering and the outrage that it has created, men and women continue to consume products that conform to their gender identity. Therefore, the purpose of this study is not to determine the extent of gendering or the price differentials resulting from it. Instead, the aim is to understand the possible dissonance between people’s perception of gendered products vis a vis their consumption patterns. For example, a woman who may ostensibly never be willing to pay a premium for feminine products may still consume razors targeted towards women, like Venus, instead of razors for men, like Gillette, despite Venus being more expensive. We deploy quantitative and qualitative research methods like surveys and projective techniques to understand whether the acceptability of gendering increases with the functionality of the product. Additionally, we attempt to analyze how the willingness to pay premiums for genderconforming products differs across the three categories of products.