Report finds great influence of unmarried women in the marketplace

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The steadily growing number of unmarried women has catapulted this demographic to a potent force in American economic society. Despite earning considerably less than unmarried men (56 cents for every dollar), single women are incredibly active consumers.

A new study, Unmarried Women in the Marketplace, finds that although the spending power of a typical unmarried woman is more limited, their growing numbers and lifestyle clearly indicate they are a critical market for American businesses.

Unmarried women comprise 53 million Americans, and outnumber unmarried men by 25 percent. As a group, unmarried women are the fastest growing large demographic in America, and are frequently the fastest growing group conducting new purchases.

"Our country is made-up of more unmarried women than men," said Page Gardner, president of Women's Voices Women Vote. "Today's single woman is increasingly more likely to own her own home and take on the role of head of household, ultimately making her a powerhouse in our economy," Gardner said.

Unmarried women are the second largest group of homebuyers in the country. Compared to unmarried men, single women are 10 percentage points less likely to live with their parents, making them second only to married couples in home purchases.

Close to 60 percent of unmarried women assume head household roles in the country, making them primarily responsible for their households' major purchasing decisions. In fact, recent major purchasers of large home furnishings and clothing are unmarried women. As unmarried women are much more likely than unmarried men to be the primary heads of their own households (44% of unmarried men are heads of households), single women are competitive with single men for recent large home purchases.

"We have found that unmarried women heavily rely on word-of-mouth as a source of information. This type of communication is also highly influential in their decisions regarding politics, and purchases," said Gardner. "We're seeing women on their own impact the marketplace even more than their available income would suggest due to their strong ties to their community and large participation in groups," said Gardner.

Unmarried women are more likely than unmarried men to participate in organized groups, allowing them to also influence the shopping habits of others. The economic influence of unmarried women is enhanced by their greater participation in organized groups, providing an outlet for them to shape the opinions of millions of other consumers through their interactions with friends and family members in these groups.

The Lake Research memo, Unmarried Women in the Marketplace, was commissioned by Women's Voices Women Vote, and may be viewed on their website.

Women's Voices. Women Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization created to activate unmarried women to participate in their government and in our democracy. With a goal of registering over 1 million unmarried women to vote, WVWV is currently conducting an aggressive mail registration program, and sponsoring the "20 Million Reasons to Vote" Public Service Announcements.