The age-old debate of who spends more – men or women, always ends in a stalemate. While women do have more needs to spend on, they are careful buyers and practical in household economy. Men buy less, but are given more to impulsive splurges and brand consciousness. Small wonder then, that the argument always gets nowhere. Fact is, both men and women splurge, equally. But the things they splurge on vary. Here are ten things that women tend to pay more for than men.
Haircuts: Women have longer hair, more styling options and more complex haircuts. So haircuts for women are naturally priced higher. The average woman pays about Rs.600 for a basic haircut, while men pay only Rs.200. But then men get haircuts more often women, so this may even out in the long run.
Inner garments: There is no room for argument here. Our fancy bras and lingerie in a myriad of colours and seductive materials like lace and satin do cost way more than the chaddi-banyan that men buy. Koi shak?
Cosmetics: Barring the use of a certain men’s fairness creams and the occasional use of BB cream by an ageing dandy, men hardly ever spend on cosmetics (And if they do, they don’t admit to it!). We women on the other hand need at least one foundation cream, one primer, one concealer, four to five shades of eyeshadow and lipsticks, a couple of lip pencils, eye liner, mascara, blusher and it’s brush and face powder to complete a basic make-up kit.
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Everyday beauty care: Although men splurge on hairstyling gels, perfumes and deos, let’s face it, we women have far more things to splurge on for our everyday care. From hair serums, shampoos, conditioners, hand sanitisers, foot and hand cream, body lotion, hair spray, facewash, body wash, facepacks, acne care….the list is endless. And of course, sanitary pads. Those things never come cheap.
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Swimsuits: This is the same case as chaddi-banyan. Swim wear for men is one pair of trunks, unless they plan to swim at the north pole. Whereas we’ve got fancy options available to us – one-piece bathing suits, bikini, tankini, full length suit, swim dresses, monokinis and such pretty colours and patterns too. Can anybody blame us for wanting to look good?
Food: We women don’t eat much, but we are given to high-end dining. A gorgeous dress, beautiful ambience, soft lights, candles, fancy cocktails and well-plated food, we need the whole shebang. Our credit card companies love it too!
Recreation: We do like the fine things in life when it comes to recreation. Getting all dressed up and going to a swanky lounge bar for a girls’ night out is our idea of relaxation. So also is shopping, going out for desserts or indulging in a foot massage. Guys on the other hand are happy meeting in a local tavern for beer or crashing on the couch with a video game.
Holidays: We may not always want a luxury holiday. Sometimes we just like to slum it, backpack and play it by ear like the boys do. Unfortunately, in India, it’s not always safe for women and the cheaper ones are often dens for shady activities. So for safety’s sake, we are forced to pick the high-end hotels to stay in during a holiday. And it’s fun too. We also end up spending more on cabs and shopping during holidays, thus upping our holiday bill.
Laundry bills: With all those exquisitely embroidered sarees and salwars and lacy delicates, our laundry bills do take up a significant chunk of our salaries.
Mobile bills: Our social life begins on the phone, sometimes it also ends on it, especially on weekdays. Men, on the other hand, are awkward over phone and prefer messaging. Still wondering why we pay higher mobile bills?
