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and figuratively (“Please wait here while I go talk to my manager”).
C ONSUMER ELECTRONICS:
45 PERCENT OF PURCHASES MADE BY WOMEN
(61 PERCENT OF PURCHASES INFLUENCED BY WOMEN ) 14
    Household penetration rates for men and women are nearly identical in consumer electronics, with a few exceptions, such as the fact that women buy more cell phones and men buy more navigational devices. (Is this because men won’t ask for directions?) Women often use different criteria when evaluating consumer electronics, such as envisioning items in context (i.e., “Is this TV too monstrously large for the wall space in our living room?” “Is this camera too heavy for my purse?” “Will my kids be able to use this, too?”) For women, context weighs heavily in big-ticket purchasing decisions.
H EALTH CARE:
80 PERCENT OF FAMILY HEALTH CARE DECISIONS
MADE BY WOMEN 15
    This is the “Dr. Mom” effect. Most women are the first responders to sick family members, and they assume the role of primary caregiver and health care manager to those who are ill. Even when it comes to medical products targeted to men, women are often the ones who either encourage the men in their lives to see a doctor, or buy products on their behalf. Women tend to put their family members’ medical needs ahead of their own.
T RAVEL:
70 PERCENT OF DECISIONS MADE BY WOMEN 16
    Whether it’s Disney or Düsseldorf, women plan vacations for themselves and their families. They also make up an increasing portion of business travelers. From “girlfriend” travel packages to hotel room decor—in which items such as beds, linens, and lamps are now available for purchase via a hotel’s catalog—women’s preferences are driving changes in an industry that historically has catered to male decision makers.
I NSURANCE, INVESTMENTS, AND RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS:
90 PERCENT OF WOMEN PARTICIPATE IN DECISIONS
THAT AFFECT THEIR HOUSEHOLD’S RETIREMENT AND
INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS 17
    More women in the workforce mean more women contributing to 401(k)s and other investment accounts. The twin phenomena of delayed marriages and frequent divorces also means that more women are the sole financial decision makers for their households. Women think about investing differently because the trajectory of their lives isdifferent from men’s. They spend more time out of the workforce during their lives to care for others, and they spend more years in retirement because they live longer. There tends to be a confidence gap with women, however, the majority of whom worry about the best ways to plan for their financial security.
H OMES:
20 PERCENT OF PURCHASES MADE BY SINGLE WOMEN;
91 PERCENT OF ALL PURCHASES INFLUENCED BY WOMEN 18
    Delayed marriages and high divorce rates mean that more single women than ever are investing in homes. The condo mania of the 1990s and early 2000s made it easier for many women to purchase affordable real estate. Even within couples, women are the primary decision makers in the purchase of a home. Men are simply not motivated to buy houses that their wives don’t like.
W INE:
55 PERCENT OF ALL PURCHASES MADE BY WOMEN 19
    The beer industry has been trying to crack the women’s market for ages, with little success. (I’ve heard women referred to as the “holy grail” by beer industry executives.) Women remain loyal to wine, and their participation in wine consumption has led to a host of female-friendly brands such as Red Bicyclette and Barefoot, both from E. & J. Gallo Winery.
G AMING:
40 PERCENT OF PLAYERS ARE WOMEN 20
    Gaming continues its long march into the mainstream by steadily adding more women customers. The Wii from Nintendo has made huge inroads with women of all ages, and has ingeniously brought the “other half of the population”into the world of gaming in a way that’s far more appealing to them than the violent games created for young men.
    Many companies have yet to effectively track their buyers by gender. Yet in virtually every category,