WORKING WOMEN AND NON-WORKING WOMEN BUYING BEHAVIOR: INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL REFERENCE GROUPS ON THE PURCHASE OF PRODUCTS - A REVIEW

The aim of this paper is to review research available on reference groups with special focus on working women and non-working women on the purchase of products. This research study would add to people's knowledge of how the influence of society vary across different product categories consumed by working women and non-working women. Specifically it focuses on social reference groups of working and non-working women's product purchase decisions. The 42 reviewed papers which were searched using keywords of Consumer behavior/reference groups/working women were grouped under the following categories: 1. working women which consisted of 12 articles; 2. housewife, 2 articles; 3. students, 3 articles; 4. women, 1 article; 5. young adults, 1 article; 6. general, 12 articles; and 7. female entrepreneurs, 12 articles. The prime objective of the study would be to analyze the gaps between the previous study and the present study at large which would be addressed in this conceptual paper of literature review.