EFFECTS OF SEX ROLE ORIENTATION ON INNOVATIVE CONSUMER PRODUCT CHOICE DECISIONS
Abstract
A marked change in the sex role orientation of American women has become apparent within the last two decades. Significant differences in attitude and behavior have been observed between women subscribing to the traditional sex role norm and those whose orientation is less traditional. The present research was designed to investigate the impact of sex role orientation on the product choice behavior of female consumers in two product categories and to explore the extent to which additional variables such as interest in a product category might mediate or obscure the effect of sex role orientation. Product innovativeness, or the tendency to choose new products, was chosen as the behavior to be observed. The Midgely and Dowling model of consumer innovativeness was used as a theoretical framework for the research. The general predictions tested using the model were: (a) there is a positive relationship between innate innovativeness and innovative product choices, (b) non-traditional women have a chronic tendency toward innovativeness, and (c) this tendency is actualized as innovative product choice behavior due to the mediating effects of interest in a specific product category. Fifty-four female students at Purdue University and thirty-nine students at Alabama A&M University served as subjects for the study. Analyses of the data suggest that: (a) there is evidence of a relationship between innate innovativeness and innovative product choices, (b) there is evidence of a relationship between non-traditional sex role orientation and the general personality trait of innovativeness, (c) there is evidence of a relationship between non-traditional sex role orientation and innovative product choices, and (d) while there is evidence of a positive relationship between non-traditional sex role orientation and interest in clothing products, there is a negative relationship between non-traditionality and interest in food products. In general, it may be concluded that innate innovativeness and sex role orientation operate independently of other variables although their influence on consumer choices varies across product categories. It may be this differential impact which has created the contradictory results in the literature regarding the effects of sex role orientation on innovative purchase choices.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Marketing
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