Men don’t get it. Or do they? Singaporean males perspectives on shopping

Abstract

Contrary to common sense knowledge that ‘the men don’t get it’ when it comes to shopping, it seems that in recent years, Singapore is witnessing a rise in the number of male shoppers. This paper examines the perceptions men in Singapore have when it comes to shopping. Findings suggest that men in Singapore do indeed shop and are increasingly enjoying the experience. This can be attributed to influencing factors such as their social circles, the media and the amorphous society. In addition, gender ideology and stereotypes do affect the way in which men perceive shopping and the ways in which they shop. However, men are not static receivers of these ideologies and stereotypes. They too respond to the stereotypes and challenge the ideologies in society. From the study, we can conclude that men do not form a single uniformed entity which can be stereotyped. Instead, there are variations in the perceptions and behaviour towards shopping within men and men are not motivated to shop solely by functional factors.