IDEX Online Research: Jewelers - Target Female Self-Purchasers, Part 10

The model family of the 1950s, Dad is the sole earner and Mom is at home cooking three hot meals a day, is hard to be found in the U.S. these days. In this multi-part series, we are looking at what this means for jewelers. The good news: more women than ever before work outside of the home and now have the discretionary income to buy jewelry for themselves. The opportunity: affluent female-headed households.

Affluent Female-Headed Households Have Money

In a study on affluent households, the Conference Board found that female-headed affluent households have significant levels of income which can be spent on a variety of goods and services.

The Conference Board made some projections for 2010 which compared the aggregate amount of household income for female-headed households versus male-headed households. There is tremendous buying power among affluent households, whether headed by a female or a male.

Further, the Conference Board projects that male-headed affluent households will total about 13.3 million in 2010. In contrast, there are expected to be 5.4 million affluent households that will be headed by a female in 2010.

The graph below illustrates the spending power of female-headed households versus male-headed households in 2002 and projected for 2010.

Source:  Conference Board