Why don men enjoy shopping as much as women do?
Thomas Hine: About two thirds of women and about one third of men say they enjoy shopping. The reason women like it more, I suspect, is because they see it as a way of exercising power and responsibility. Shopping is a big part of the womanly job that emerged among the 19th century middle class of creating the circumstances of family life: what your house will look like, what your children will wear, and what everyone eats. Women have been brought up to see this as powerful. Men often see such tasks as an imposition, one that gets in the way of doing things that are real and productive. Probably my favorite fun fact that came from my research is that if men and women are placed on treadmills, men will walk faster. But if they are placed in a mall, women walk faster. That’s because she knows where she’s going. She has something to achieve. He’d rather be somewhere else. What qualities make a “good” shopper? A good shopper exhibits the same combination we find among the gatherers of the
