New research published by UK retail bank Halifax's card unit shows that when it comes to credit card usage, men and women differ considerably.
Although men and women tend to use their plastic in much the same way when it comes to buying everyday retail and service purchases, when it comes to less frequent items such as clothing and motoring expenses the research claims that there is a definite gender divide.
Women are almost twice as likely to use their credit card to buy clothes than men – despite surveys in recent years which have suggested that that men could now be rivaling women in the grooming stakes.
Reinforcing traditional gender stereotypes further, men apparently utilize their credit cards for purchasing and maintaining a vehicle more regularly than women.
The statistics may also indicate that in most households women are still in charge of shopping for the weekly supplies, and women use their credit card to pay for everyday food and drink more than men.
Ian Larkin, head of Halifax card services, comments: Studying the credit card spending habits of men and women has revealed that some gender stereotypes are very much alive and well in the realm of finances. Whilst men tend to spend money on their car and motoring using a credit card, women are more likely to be taking their credit card to clothes shops.
However, there are some areas of credit card spending that men and women seem happy to agree on. For instance, holidays and home and garden improvements are items that both sexes find a credit card useful for purchasing.