RWI Study: Going to the supermarket is women's business

Although more and more women are employed in Germany, although they assume still more likely than men to household purchases. This is especially true for families with children. The gap between women and men in the weekly shopping time has, however, significantly reduced. These are the findings of a recent study of the RWI and the University of Wuppertal is based on data of the German Mobility Panel.

Although more and more women are working, they do still more likely than men's purchases for the household in which they live. However, the men have become increasingly involved in recent years in the weekly purchases. These are the findings of a study of the Rhine-Westphalia Institute for Economic Research (RWI) and the University of Wuppertal.

The study shows that in recent years, particularly fathers increasingly spent more time in the supermarket. Fraud of the difference between women and men in the weekly shopping time of the year 1996 140 more minutes, he dropped by the year 2009 40 to less than minutes. Even with the number of shopping trips undertaken, there was a distinct approach for families with children: While women 1996 6 weekly average and men 3,5 made shopping trips, 2009 took both partners around 4. Overall, the time spent by families with children weekly shopping, taken between 1996 and 2009 from 350 to 310 minutes. For childless couples, no difference in purchasing behavior between the two partners can be proven. Overall, these couples spend on average more time with household errands and go shopping more frequently than families with children.

Even if both partners work full time, women frequently buy one

For the study, data from the German Mobility Panel (MOP) from the years 1996 were evaluated to 2009. As part of the MOP are interviewed between 750 and 1000 more than households in three consecutive years over the period of a week to their mobility behavior. Also be raised among others data on age, educational background and employment status. Considered for shopping study were households where at least one adult man and an adult woman live. In 24,5% of households interviewed the man worked in full-time and the woman part-time, in 15,4% both partners were employed full-time.

Buy a total of women from households where the man is the sole breadwinner, longer and more often than working women. Although the occupation reduced the female engagement at the weekly shopping, the women are still committed than men in a comparable situation. If both partners working full time, the purchases are often done by women. The availability of a car influences the purchasing behavior: women who have unrestricted access to a vehicle, buy a more common. Factors such as the length of the path directions to the workplace and the educational background hardly affect the apportionment of purchasing activities between women and men on the other hand.

Source: Wuppertal [RKI]