The Gender Gap Extends to Gift Giving

Today the Daily Mail presented its readers with vital news about the gender gap: it also exists in gift giving. According to a survey by an online retailer, women spend 13 hours searching for their partner’s perfect present, while men only spend four. This information comes as a shock…who spends THIRTEEN hours of their life looking for a present? That is over half a day. That is a whole season of Breaking Bad. That is an amazing waste of time…even four hours is pushing it.

But seriously, no duh women spend more time on shopping than men. Even though I don’t believe in gender essentialism, I think it’s pretty safe to say that women enjoy going to the mall more than their male counterparts. Not because it’s in their DNA, but because those are the cultural expectations and social norms that women have been taught. When the last time your boyfriend/a male friend begged you to go shopping?

The survey also presents us with important information like, “half of mothers (57 percent) confess to being disappointed with Christmas gifts given by their husbands or boyfriends,” and “a quarter of them are now frantically dropping hints so as not to risk another poor show this year.”

Here’s an idea; give your partner the gift of time and sanity by telling them what you want. They won’t be disappointed, you won’t waste your time, and the two of you can focus on what the holidays are really about — spending time with loved ones, not shopping for them.

Image: Seattleye/Flickr