--- title: Men Shop to Treat Themselves Just as Much as Women — and Spend More Doing It description: According to new Deloitte research, men are splurging just as often as women — and spending almost 40% more worldwide and in the U.S. authors: - name: Mary Ellen Cagnassola role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/mary-ellen-cagnassola/ bio: Mary Ellen (M.E.) Cagnassola is a former reporter at Money, where she covered Social Security, retirement, housing, and employment. Her work reflects her commitment to service and equity in consumer finance. education: Rutgers University, BA Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 205 covers: - Shopping - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Taxes former_staff: true published: '2023-05-02T17:51:05.000Z' modified: '2024-01-10T13:50:44.000Z' section: Shopping tags: - News word_count: 336 canonical: https://money.com/men-treat-themselves-spend-more/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Full length body size view of man carrying new things clothing packages isolated over bright vivid shine vibrant magenta color background with dollar bills floating around](https://img.money.com/2023/05/News-Men-Spend-More.jpg) The idea that women are shopaholics is an old stereotype — there’s even a lipstick index, a financial indicator that uses cosmetics sales to analyze the U.S. economic outlook. [New research](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/consumer-behavior-trends-state-of-the-consumer-tracker/splurge-spending-inflation-lipstick-index.html), however, suggests that a “bourbon barometer” may be just as good a way to measure consumer spending. It turns out that men are not only statistically just as likely to splurge as [women](https://money.com/changemakers/women-on-fire/), they actually spend more money on average when they treat themselves. Deloitte Insights surveyed consumers in 23 countries about their spending habits, compiling a database of roughly 150,000 [splurge purchases](https://money.com/psychology-help-impulse-shopping/) with details on what respondents bought, how much they spent and why they made the purchase. Deloitte’s data shows that today, splurging doesn’t always look like Cher Horowitz leaving the store with her arms stacked with [shopping](https://money.com/most-popular-clothing-brands-online-resale/) bags. Instead, picture a man treating himself to a steak dinner and a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Times are hard — and everyone, regardless of gender, [wants a break](https://money.com/mental-health-correlates-shopping-splurging/) now and then. "Whether it’s called the lipstick index or the bourbon barometer, one constant is that consumers generally relieve the pressures of frugality by occasionally treating themselves," the report reads. 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