Men Still Spend Twice As Much As Women On Valentine’s Day

by Justin Fenner | 1:54 pm, January 28th, 2011

Of the nearly $16 billion retailers expect Americans to spend on Valentine’s Day, men will spend twice as much of it as women. Are we surprised? Well, yes and no.

Men have traditionally spent more money on Valentine’s Day than women have, according to a study by the National Retail Foundation. But even this year, when most people feel comfortable spending a little more money on Valentine’s Day than they have in recent years, men are still spending the lion’s share. On average, guys will shell out $158.71 on their significant others, while women will spend around $75.79.

But you couldn’t explain this trend away by saying women understand that “it’s the thought that counts” better than men do. The fact that women don’t plan to spend as much as men on Valentine’s Day is a signal that women don’t have as much to spend as men. In a truly equal relationship, you’d think most couples would spend the same amount of money on each other. And it’s saddening that a day that’s supposed to be about celebrating love also serves as a reminder of a pretty glaring economic disparity.

Anyway, collectively, jewelry ($3.5 billion) is shaping up to be this year’s most popular gift in terms of dollars spent, followed closely by dining out ($3.4 billion), flowers ($1.7 billion), clothing ($1.6 billion) and candy ($1.5 billion). We’re also about to drop just over a billion dollars on greeting cards.

This blogger is single this year (woo!), and has no financial responsibility to anyone but himself. Still, we at Styleite are curious to know: Is Valentine’s Day any less romantic if your boyfriend spends more on you than you do on him?

Love Is In The Air This Valentine’s Day, According To NRF [National Retail Foundation]

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day 2011 Valentine's Day Spending

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