Y 1964 Homemakers’ Practices And Satisfaetions with Clothing TEXAS A8 it "a i.‘ g Z‘ 3-2 Q a u ‘a 3' g O m U g. q; {L ‘a l: \- g_ '- '- ,"_' v .0 u '- — ‘J 4i > i: Q O O at» E= 5s Es 8% E8 ‘is s? fies w: 0:0 1E‘; u-D. :|:@ 2:» £5 m1; :3 Ion. <85 Y Respondent's age .sa6* .os3* 397* ** .42s* .124 ** .2sa* 293* y Family size .5s6* .s79* .170 .192 .336* .224* .180 .162 .224 :,;,¥amily composition .683* .879* .497* .354* .293* .328* .256 .245* .2631‘ i HornemakeHs education .397* .170 .497* 770* .719* .147 ** .590* .3051‘ i Husband's education ** .192 354* .770* ** .219 .632* ** ** i Family income .425* .336* .293* .7l9* ** .215* .554* ** .36l* Employment status .124 .244* .328* .147 .219 .215* .224 .084 ** ‘ Husband’s occupation i ** .180 .256 ** .632* .554* .224 .507* ** ' Homemaker’s activity participation .23a* .162 .24s* .59o* ** ** .084 .so7* .3s4* ' Area of maior socialization .293* .224 .263* .305* ** .361* ** ** .354* over 50 years old and least likely to be under 30 years old. Dresses: The independent variables studied did not have any effect 0n the average number of dresses purchased yearly by the homemakers, as a similar proportion (24- to 26 percent) fell into each of the 4- classifications, Table 3. However, the statistical relationships were significant (not due to chance) indicating an effect not identified by the research design. Differences in employment status were generally not between the full and part-time employees but were between the employed and unemployed homemakers. The unemployed homemakers who participated in 9 to 14 total activities were consistently most responsive to all items about dress buying practices. Education and age variables did not indicate such a pronounced trend as did the employment and activity participation factors. Homemakers with less than a high school education, 30-39 years of age, purchased the fewest number of dress- es during the previous year. The homemakers who pur- chased 4 to 5 dresses had generally finished high school and were 40-4-9 years old. Homemakers, 50 or more years old, with a high school education generally pur- chased 6 to 9 dresses. Homemakers, 50 or older, less than a high school education were least likely to‘, purchased 10 or more dresses during the previous y Forty-five percent of the sample paid from. to $19, the medium price range, for their last w percent had paid less than $10; and Z3 percent had- $20 or more for this garment. The oldest homemv, who had less than a high school education were, likely to pay less than $10 for their last dress. H0 l‘ the proportion of homemakers who paid the w? price varied little among the different age classificaf This may be due to unidentified factors. Older f makers who had more than 12 years of formal tion frequently paid more than $20 for their last ~§ TYPES or GARMENTS WORN FOR SPECIF. ACTIVITIES Because housekeeping activities limit social c0 other than family and personal friends, social inte of an anonymous nature is also limited by these ties. Clothing Worn for the generally isolated w; keeping activities takes on more utilitarian functio ’ it does in the populace social or business situatio TABLE 3. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOMEMAKERS DRESS-BUYING PRACTICES* Number purchased Price paid in dollars lndependem 1-3 4-5 6-9 10 or more less than 10 10-19 variables * Percentages Education Less than 12 39 30 44 23 53 35 12 36 38 37 39 34 40 12 or more 25 32 19 38 13 25 TOTALS 105 117 111 117 120 224 % of N 21 23 22 23 24 45 N N=450 N=461 X” values 16.967* 59.8301‘ Employment Full-time 8 2O 24 21 12 21 Part-time 15 13 14 20 19 16 Unemployed 77 67 62 59 69 63 TOTALS 105 117 111 117 120 224 % of N 21 23 22 23 24 45 N N=450 N=461 X’ values 14.271 * 8.460 Activities 1-8 16 14 30 9 36 13 9-14 63 58 49 62 49 68 15 or more 21 28 21 28 15 19 TOTALS , 105 117 111 117 120 224 % of N 21 23 - 22 23 24 45 N N=450 N=461 X2 values 22.748* 72.3021‘ Age in years Under 30 29 22 20 26 28 26 30-39 32 25 17 27 30 24 40-49 18 30 28 27 26 22 50 or more 21 23 35 20 16 28 TOTALS 105 114 111 116 120 221 "/9 of N 24 26 25 26 26 48 N N=446 N=457 x’ values 17.a33* 16.71 5* *lndicates statistical significance of 95% probability. 6 the latter situations, clothing partially functions as a means of identifying status when contact is brief and of a superficial nature. Housework: Almost one-half, 48 percent, of the sample usually wore some type of pants3 for housework. Two- fifths of the homemakers usually wore housedresses and one-eighth simply wore old garments4 for this activity. Almost three-fourths of the homemakers who wore pants had attained at least a high school education whereas homemakers with less than this amount of education generally wore housedresses. There was a similar ten- dency for women of all educational levels to wear old garments. l Respondents falling on either extreme of the total or social-cultural activity participation scale tended to be less cognizant or consistent in the garments they usually wore for housework. In all garment classifications these individuals indicated a low percentage of use, while me- dium participators indicated high use regardless of clas- sification. Pants were worn most frequently and in the same proportion by homemakers who were less than 3O years of age or between 30 and 39. As age increased the pro- portion of homemakers who usually wore pants for housework decreased. An increase in the proportion of , homemakers who usually wore housedresses was paral- r. leled by an increase in age. Similarly, old garments ' were worn with increasing frequency as the homemakers’ ages increased. Employment status was the only selected independent variable not significantly related to the type of garment women tended to wear for housework. Work: Dresses were usually worn to work by the ma- iority of employed homemakers. An equal proportion wore skirts and blouses or uniforms (20 percent). Less than one-tenth of the employed homemakers reported that they usually wore suits. Dresses were Worn by a relatively similar propor- tion of homemakers in all age levels. Skirts and blouses were also worn by a similar proportion of homemakers at all age ranges except 40-49. Wearing uniforms to work was indirectly related to age. Older homemakers indicated that they more frequently wore suits to work than did the younger women. j None of the independent variables were significantly ., related to the type of garments worn for work. How- f ever, all socio-economic variables, except employment, were a function of the clothing worn for housework. “This probably indicates a greater uniformity among most _.§’worker’s clothing which will meet the standards of the :5 greater society. Conversely, the homemaker probably ' feels free to dress as she pleases for housework without . the risk of societal evaluation and disapproval. CONCEPT oF- FEELING “WELL-DRESSED" Education, employment, activity participation and age were related to homemakers’ satisfaction with work i “Pants included jeans, pedal pushers, shorts, Bermuda shorts and ; smilar garments. _ ‘Old garments included discarded dresses, blouses, skirts, smocks and similar types of garments. clothing worn for work or other occasions? It was un- derstood that the term well-dressed would be interpreted in the homemakers’ personal frames of reference. Re- search design did not allow for identifying individual meaning. A majority of all employed homemakers did not feel well-dressed at work. Almost three-fourths did not feel well-dressed at club, professional, church and similar occasions in work clothing. The majority of homemakers who felt well-dressed in clothing worn to work were moderate activity partici- pators. This relationship was significant and did not apply to work clothing worn to other types of activities. Age was not a function of feeling well-dressed in work clothing. 'Younger women, though more frequently wore uniforms to work, felt well-dressed more often in work clothing worn for occasions other than work than did the older women. Educational attainment was the only independent variable statistically related to the homemakers’ tendency to feel well-dressed, (P. < .()5,X2 I 11.561, d.f. I 2). CONCEPT OF “DRESSED BEST" It is recognized that the term “dressed best” could also be interpreted in the homemakefs personal frame of reference. Consequently, it might mean most formal, most expensive, or most fashionable; it could also refer to high quality or appropriateness to an occasion, an emotional feeling toward specific garments. or clothing 1n general. It was hoped that by considering this con- cept in terms of the socio-economic variables meaning might be clarified. Church was consistently the activity for which the majority tried to dress best. One-fourth of the sample dressed best for social-cultural activities. Five percent dressed best for professional or miscellaneous activities‘; Six percent of the homemakers did not feel that they dressed best for any one particular activity. This may indicate that these homemakers were aware of their pro- jected image and realized its value in communication. Although this research was not designed for projection purposes, these women probably spent considerable time in wardrobe planning and felt little emotional attachment to any one garment. Although three-fifths of all homemakers dressed best for church activities some relationships were notable when the socio-economic variables were related to the other activities. As educational level increased fewer homemakers dressed best for church. The educational level of the homemakers who dressed best for profes- sional activities was at either extreme of the educational attainment dichotomy. A relatively large proportion of the homemakers who dressed best for professional activi- ties had not completed high school. Possibly, these homemakers used clothing as a compensatory tool in their professional activities. The higher the educational level of the homemaker the more likely she was to dress best for social-cultural activities. Over three-fourths of the homemakers who dressed best for all activities had a minimum of a high school education. 5Other occasions referred to church, club, professional and similar meetings which are commonly considered "dress-up" occasions. “The miscellaneous category included sports, shopping and a variety of activites with the husband. lt was necessary to classify these activities in this manner to allow a valid statistical analysis. Educational attainment was highly significant when cross-classified with specific activities for which women dressed best, (X2 I 50.054, P. < .001, d.f. I 8). Employment status was related t0 activity for which respondents dressed best only to the extent that in each activity classification, the unemployed respondents were consistently the majority. Results may have been dif- ferent had the analysis been based solely on employment and unemployment status. Total low activity participators tended t0 dress best only for miscellaneous activities, whereas medium par- ticipators dressed best for other types of activities. These relationships were significant, (X2 I 62.802, P. < .001, d.f. I 8). The older homemakers tended to dress best for church; whereas the younger ones tended to dress best for social-cultural activities. The largest proportion of homemakers who felt that they dressed best for all ac- tivities were 30 to 39 years of age. Homemakers who were 50 or older least often felt that they dressed best for all activities. Homemakers who dressed best for professional activities were most often in the 30-39‘ and 50 or older groups. These relationships were also sig- nificant statistically, ( 2 I 23.910, P. < .01, d.f. I 8). SATISFACTION WITH SELECTED CLOTHING CHARACTERISTICS The homemakers’ responses about their work cloth- ing seemingly contradicted responses about satisfaction with the specific clothing characteristics of quality, quan- tity, suitability and fit.7 However, this comparison was based upon the total wardrobe and was not limited to occupational clothing. Whereas this procedure is not entirely reliable, the implication is that these women were satisfied with all garments except those worn for occu- pational purposes. The homemakers were generally satisfied with the quality, suitability and fit of their clothing whereas dis- satisfaction was expressed with the quantity of clothing owned, Table 4. Education was a function of satisfaction with the clothing characteristics studied. The higher her educa- tion the likelier the homemaker was to express high satisfaction; whereas, generally, the least educated were most likely to feel improvement was needed. Employment status was, statistically significant only when related to satisfaction with fit of clothing. Differ- ences were not between the full or part-time employees, but as in the analysis of the dressed best concept, between the total employed group and the unemployed. Fit was the only clothing characteristic which was not significantly related to activity participation. The largest proportion of homemakers who expressed a con- sequential degree of satisfaction with the clothing char- acteristics studied, participated in 9-14 total activities. Older women consistently expressed high satisfac- tion with the clothing characteristics studied whereas "Quality referred to the degree to which personal clothing standards are met. Quantity referred to the number of garments owned. Suit- ability included the ideas of design and becomingness and was in reference to the homemakers‘ needs. Fit referred to comfort and style aspects. 8 ‘statistical function (P. < .05) of the ho younger women expressed need for improvement. lar proportion of homemakers in each age ~I pressed moderate satisfaction. ' FASHION ACCEPTANCE Homemakers were asked if they wore the ve fashions or if they waited until these fashions we: erally accepted, although it is recognized thjzat d1 i cies between statements of behavior and actual may exist. Contrary to popular opinion, almost one-h- that they selected clothing adapted to their pa J needs and likes regardless of current fashion Over one-third delayed acceptance of the fashio rently popular in the study area and almost 2 out; preferred to wear the latest fashions. Econom siderations not identified in the research desi have some effect on this relationship. Participation in social-cultural activities we, were significantly related to the homemakers’ Ti acceptance, (X2 I 19.549, P. < .05, d.f. I ' I 25.419, P. < .05, d.f. I 8, respectively). of 10 homemakers less than 40 years old wore fashions as they appeared on the market, wher 4 out of 10 older homemakers had this practi proximately 60 percent of the older women t , _ wear their own fashions regardless of current f dictates, while approximately 40 percent of the women did this. Y Unemployed homemakers with a high sch cation who participated in the median number o ties were generally more “fashion conscious.” SHOPPING FOR CLOTHING The majority of homemakers did not think, garments worn when shopping for clothing in I i‘ the treatment received from sales people. Th contradicts previous findings by Stone and which 70 percent of the sample reported that they clothing did make a difference in the way t.=_ treated by salesclerks (7). Although Stone and, questions did not indicate shoppingonly for clo I implications are similar. Considering the portance of the retail clothing market in the still and other socio-economic differences between," samples, further investigation is warranted ‘*0 contradictory findings can be reliably accepted puted fact. I None of the selected independent variabl feelings that the garments worn when shopping ing influenced the buyer-clerk relationship. Homemakers who felt that clothing made f ence would most likely be unemployed, high sch, uates participating in the medium range of t‘. social-cultural activities. Those who felt clo little effect on this relationship would be simi that they probably would not have completed 1 school. BUYING CONSULTANTS Homemakers were asked: “If you needed! a choice between 2 or more dresses or other when buying, who would you like to consult before mak- ing your decision?” Approximately one-half replied no one, thus making the decision alone. One-half would consult either their husbands or a variety of other per- sons. sultation. A homemaker who would consult her husband would most frequently have these same characteristics. There was a slight tendency for homemakers who con- sulted persons other than their husbands to have com- pleted less than 12 years of formal education, but were . . . . . . similar in other respects. Age was the only soclo-economic variable signifi- cantly related to buying consultation, (X2 I 37.128, P. < .001, d.f. I 6). However, an unemployed, high school educated homemaker who participated in a me- dium number of total or social-cultural activities would be most likely to make her buying decision without con- As age increased, the tendency to make clothing de- cisions independently also increased. However, the largest proportion of those consulting other persons were also older women. This same group was least likely to consult their husbands in a clothing decision; whereas TABLE 4. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOMEMAKERS’ SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY, QUANTITY, SUITABILITY AND FIT OF THEIR CLOTHING BY SELECTED INDEPENDENT VARIABLES Quality Quantity Suitability l Fit Very Needs Very Needs Very Needs Very Needs Independent S . S . . s . S . . . . . . . . _ Hes at|s- at|s- |mprove- at|s- atis- |mprove- Sat|s- Sat|s- |mprove- Sat|s- Sat|s- |mprove- "‘"'° tied fied ment tied tied ment tied tied ment tied tied ment PERCENTAGES Education in years Less than T2 T6 37 53 T8 34 40 T8 35 57 2T 37 52 T2 34 42 42 3T 39 43 38 42 3T 39 42 35 More than T2 50 2T 5 5T 27 T7 44 22 T2 40 2T T3 TOTALS T42 268 9T 80 205 2T7 T27 3T0 59 T7T 244 86 °/e of N 28 53 T8 T6 4T 43 26 63 T2 34 49 T7 N 50T 502 496 50T X” values 75.9T3* 35.548* 43.378* 25.654* Employment Full-time T7 20 T4 T9 T6 T9 T6 20 T2 T7 20 T4 Part-time T6 T4 T2 T4 T3 T7 T6 T5 T0 T3 T5 T5 Unemployed 67 66 74 67 7T 64- 68 65 78 70 65 7T TOTALS T42 268 9T 80 205 2T7 T28 307 58 T7T 244 86 % of N 28 53 T8 T6 4T 43 26 62 T2 34 49 T7 N 50T 502 493 50T x’ values 2.ss7* 2615* 2.771 19.o4s* Activity participation T-8 T0 22 24 TT 2T 2T 9 20 38 T2 23 24 9-T4 54 56 66 50 55 6T 55 58 52 54 58 58 T5 or more 36 22 T0 39 24 T8 36 22 T0 34 T9 T7 TOTALS T42 268 9T 80 205 2T7 T29 3T0 58 T7T 244 86 % of N 28 53 T8 T6 4T 43 26 62 T2 34 49 T7 N 50T 502 497 50T X” values 28.T83* T5.400* 29.881 * 2.234 y. Social-cultural '_ activity participation I T-4 T2 2T T4 T5 T9 T6 9 T7 24 T0 22 T5 5-8 57 6T 80 49 66 67 56 67 69 60 63 73 9 or more 32 T8 5 36 T6 T6 35 T6 7 30 T5 T2 TOTALS T42 268 90 80 205 2T 7 T30 307 58 T7T 243 86 % of N 28 53 T7 T6 4T 43 26 62 T2 34 49 T7 f’ N soo s02 49s soo X” values 30.306* T8.292* 30.540* 39.235* l: Age in years 30 or less T6 24 3T T4 2T 28 2T 24 22 T8 2T 39 30-39 -;t 23 26 32 T5 24 32 23 25 35 24 29 20 40-49 f 30 23 T8 3T 26 20 30 22 T9 29 2T 23 5O or more 3T 27 T9 40 29 20 26 29 24 28 29 T8 TOTALS T41 266 90 80 202 2T 6 T 29 307 59 T70 243 84 % of N 28 54 T8 T6 4T 43 26 62 T2 34 49 T7 N 497 498 495 497 x’ values 14.366* 2s.4a9* 6.47s 2o.o37* I *Indicates significance at the 95% level of probability. the younger homemakers consulted their husbands most often. IMPLICATIONS The findings of this survey have some significant implications for clothing educators and manufacturers. Educators: Implications oriented to educators pre- suppose a need for clothing education programs directed toward homemakers; a premise substantiated by the fact that the majority of employed homemakers did not feel well-dressed in work clothing and the dissatisfaction all expressed with the quantity of clothing owned. Infor- mation concerning wardrobe planning and coordination is needed. All results seem to indicate that homemakers lack awareness of the subtle, symbolic functions of clothing, vet the anonymous characteristic of their expanded roles increases the likelihood that they will be partially evalu- ated on the basis of these functions. Consequently, valid information concerning these functions would be valua- ble. Expressed satisfaction with the quality, fit and suit- ability of clothing may not indicate that respondents’ clothing are actually faultless examples of these qualities. Instead, the homemaker may not be aware of currently correct applications of these concepts. Manufacturers: Responses to questions concerning wardrobe analysis indicate that suits are, in the study area, generally worn for activities other than work. Al- though these activities are varied, the trend has implica- tions for the design and fabric content of suits marketed in this area. Women of all socio-economic categories bought dresses and the majority seemingly used them for all activities studied other than housework. The variation in use of dresses among women falling into the range of socio-economic variables is based on quantity and pur- chase price. There is‘ a great demand for moderately priced, good quality dresses which are adaptable to many different activities. ' Indications of not feeling well-dressed in occupa- tional clothing and dissatisfaction with quantity of cloth- l0 ing owned,‘ suggests that homemakers would '1 readily to merchandising methods and clothing emphasizing wardrobe coordination. In plann chandising techniques, it shoud also be recogn I older homemakers generally make independent -"_ purchasing decisions and that _other age group a variety of people. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research was originated by Phyllis Dr I mer assistant professor, Department of Home Ec Copies of additional tables may be obtai the Department of Home Economics. LITERATURE CITED 1. Brew, Margaret L., Roxanne R. 0’Leary an y C. Dean, “Family Clothing Inventories -~-=i, chases,” U.S.D.A., Agricultural Information 14-8, April, 1956. 2. Britton, Virginia, “Clothing,” Family Econo View, Consumer and Food Economics Res VISIOII, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, D. C., December, 1963, p. 7-1 3. Clague, Ewan, “Family Clothing Inventories come: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, 1 reau of Human Nutrition and Home“ U.S.D.A., June, 1950, p. 27. 4. “Consumer Expenditure Study,” University sylvania and U. S. Bureau of Labor verslty of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19 5. Huntington, Emily H., Spending of Middle? Families, Berkeley, California: University” fornia Press, 1957. 6. Murphy, Gardner, Personality, New Yor and Brothers Publishers, 194-7, p. 4-95. 7. Stone, Gregory P. and Wm. H. Form, “ Community Clothing Market: A Study ' cial and Social Psychological Contexts of Michigan State University Agricultural <;_ Station, East Lansing, Technical Bulletin i vember, 1957. I [Blank Page in Original Bulletin] i lum sums e nu wuntnou l uu van.» tnuovuromrs A eoonumo snnons Location oi tield research units oi the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and cooperating agencies ORGANIZATION OPERATION Research results are carried to Texas farmers, ranchmen and homemakers by county agents and specialists of the Texas Agricultural Ex- tension Service joclay i4 Kedearcd .96 jomorrow i4 flagrant "k The Texas Agricultural Experiment Stati. is the public agricultural research agen A oi the State oi Texas. and is one of parts oi Texas AdtM University. 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