But business travel has also seen marked growth by females.
Women make up nearly half of all business travel, according to
research by Judi Brownell, Ph.D., professor of Cornell Univer-
sity’s Management & Organizational Behaviour Program.
Over 75% of women traveling on business are college edu-
cated and more able than men to articulate their needs. They
participate in more leisure activities while traveling on busi-
ness. They’re also much more likely to order room service
while traveling alone. For these reasons, they have a great im-
pact on this industry.
Investment
While the percentage of women who own stocks still lags
behind men, ample research has found women make better in-
vestors. Fidelity Investments reported in 2017 they analyzed
more than 8 million clients. Fidelity found that when it comes
to return on investments, women outperform men.
Automotive
Another area in which women play a crucial role is the au-
tomotive industry. “Women,” according to a report by the Na-
tional Institute of Automotive Service Excellence, “are not only
becoming more influential in deciding what car to buy, they are
also taking over the traditionally male-dominated responsibility
of maintenance and repair.” Women make up between 65 and
80 percent of auto repair and service shop customers.
Women are also responsible for almost half of new car
sales and slightly over half of used-car sales, according to Art
Spinella, of CNW Research. Women influence 80% of all sales.
Not to mention, says Ford Motor Marketing, 95% of women
have the power to “veto” an automobile purchase.
What women want from this industry, experts say, is not
to be treated differently. They just want to be treated with re-
spect. “Women ask more questions, inquire about details, and
are more willing to look under the hood, or check out parts,”
says Diane Hohman, an automotive aftermarket consultant in
Herndon, Virginia. So they’re beginning to get the respect they
deserve in this market.
Sports & Entertainment
Women are not only spending increasing amounts on cloth-
ing, but on entertainment and electronics.
Furthermore, since 2010, spending on women’s sports ap-
parel has risen 76%, points out the NFL. Seventeen percent of
all sports apparel is now made for women, when only a decade
before it was nearly zero. In fact, an unexpected 44% of NFL
TV viewers are now women.
What this all boils down to is two-fold. Being America’s
biggest consumers, women not only keep the economy from
becoming stagnant during times of stability. They keep it from
collapsing during recession. This means women are gaining the
upper hand in the way the business industry treats them. Wom-
en aren’t demanding preferential treatment, but they do expect
equal treatment and respect.
Kimberly Blaker is the author of a kid’s STEM book, “Horo-
scopes: Reality or Trickery?” She also writes a blog, Modern
FamilyStyle at modernfamilystyle.com
May 2019 WNY Family 13