The Economic Role And The Buying Behavior Of Urban Chinese Women

This paper discusses the economic role of urban Chinese women after the economic reform in 1979 and the major influence on their buying behavior.In traditional Chinese society women had a minor role and were expected to subordinate themselves to fathers, husbands and sons. Due to this fact Chinese women had limited possibilities of career and of accumulating financial wealth. Despite this unfavorable beginning urban Chinese women have achieved an important economic role resulting in a spending power of 330 billion US Dollars in 2008 (MasterCard Worldwide Report, 2005 p.9). This financially rewarding consumer group provides companies with not only enormous opportunities, but also challenges regarding the understanding of female buying behavior. Although urban Chinese women have developed an important economic role there is still little insight about the economic importance and the buying behavior of this consumer group from a sociological and business point of view.This paper should help marketers to recognize the economic significance of Chinese urban women and to understand the major influence on their buying behavior. Furthermore it elaborates the implications of Chinese female buying behavior on the market strategy of international marketers.