Page 1 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 298
Working Women Preference for Handloom Saris
S.Poongodi* Dr. S. Benjamin Christopher**
*Assistant Professor, PG Department of Commerce with Computer Applications,
Nallamuthu Gounder Mahalingam College, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu,
poongodimuruganantham@gmail.com.
** Associate Professor and Head (Rtd.), PG & Research Department of Commerce,
Nallamuthu Gounder Mahalingam College, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu,
ben_chris59@hotmail.com.
Abstract
Preference for handloom saris is conditioned by many variables. An attempt has
been made in this paper to know such variables that influence the level of preference of
working women for handloom saris. To facilitate this, primary data have been collected
from a sample of 1220 working women, identified through convenience sampling method.
Working women preference for handloom saris has been measured by giving scores to
preference related questions. Chi-square test has been used to analyse the data. Results
show that Family Income, Opinion on Handloom Saris, Frequency of Usage and Level of
Awareness significantly influence the level of preference for handloom saris.
Keywords: Working Women – Preference – Opinion – Handloom Sari.
I. Introduction
Sari is a five to nine yards garment which gives an elegant look to women of all ages.
In India, sari has remained a leading wear not only on special occasions but also in daily
life. There is a common saying in India that every woman looks beautiful in sari. In many
traditions in India, it is a custom to wear only sari by married women. Usage and wearing
style of sari is different across various parts of India. Though the usage of sari has been
reduced now –a-days, it is very difficult to find an Indian woman without a single sari in
her wardrobe. Sari is the most preferred one by Indian women during parties, showing the
popularity of sari. Different varieties of saris have different style of making and material.
Page 2 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 299
Clothing is a primary and essential need of people. Though clothing is a day-to-day
activity, women prefer to buy clothes during occasions like birthday, wedding day,
festivals, periods of offers and discounts, exhibitions, clearance sales and the like. It is
believed that area of residence, age, occupation, marital status, culture and the like
influence buying decision of an individual. Alooma and Lawan A. Lawan (2013) have
found that demographic variables like age, gender, marital status, education, occupation
and income significantly influence the consumer buying decision at each stage of need,
information search, evaluation, patronage and post purchase behaviour. Working women
have increased considerably in recent years due to urbanization and industrialization.
They may have different choices based on different preferences.
II. Review of Literature
Selda Guzel (2013) has carried out a study to determine the clothing preference and
problems of elderly people above the age of 65. Data for the research have been collected
from 175 respondents by using survey form and by adopting random sampling method.
Cross tabulation has been used to analyse the data. The research has revealed that elders
pay attention to features such as comfort, suitability, practicability and durability. Women
prefer blouse, waistcoat, dress and pajamas whereas men prefer shirts, jacket, pants and
pajamas. Moreover, they show interest to wear cotton, silky and combed cotton fabrics.
Finding an exact dress size is the major issue of elderly people. Sheethal Jose and
Lakshmi Shankar Iyer (2013) have examined the tangible and intangible benefits
associated with the brand while purchasing silk sarees and the factors influencing the
purchase of silk sarees among women in Bangalore. Data for the study have been
collected through structured questionnaire from 141 women customers by adopting
convenience sampling. The study has revealed that design, colour combination, price,
texture, family tradition and original zari are the major tangible benefits considered by
women during the purchase of silk saree and among the intangible benefits women look
into celebrity endorsements, quality, brand name, status, trust and uniqueness. Television
advertisement, word-of-mouth and peer influence are other factors that influence the
Page 3 of 11
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 300
purchase of silk sarees. Veena (2013) has studied the consumer behaviour towards
Paithani saree to know the satisfaction of female consumer on three values namely
Attention, Information and Persuasion. Questionnaires have been used to collect data
from 100 female consumers by adopting convenience sampling technique. The study
reveals that majority of them are satisfied with the three values. Majority of the female
consumers are attracted by the colour of the saree but a few of them are of the opinion
that the designs are traditional and out of style. Kaur Amarjot and Kaur Sandeep
(2014) have made an attempt to identify the fabric and color preference of college going
girls in different seasons. Interview schedule method has been used to collect information
from 50 students of both UG and PG classes from Kanya Maha Vidyalaya in Jalandhar
city by adopting random sampling technique. The data are analysed using rank analysis.
The result of the study indicates that majority of the college girls prefer to wear cotton,
linen fabrics and white, pink and blue color during summer season whereas wool, silk
fabric and red, black and pink color is preferred during winter season. Moreover college
girls prefer woven knitted fabric in both the seasons. Premalatha, Venkat Ravi and
Sangeetha (2017) have made a study to analyse the preference of consumers towards
design, colour, texture and fabric of clothes. Data have been collected from 900
consumers by adopting convenience sampling method. The result indicates that
consumers prefer naturalistic design followed by conventional, checked, stripped,
geometric and butte design. The most preferred colour is blue followed by violet, white,
red, orange, yellow, green and black. Consumers prefer clothes with soft texture. Fabrics
like cotton, poly cotton, polyester, linen, satin, silk, rayon, nylon and wool are preferred
to wear. Nagunuri Srinivas (2019) has made a study to know the factors influencing the
preference for branded products of generation Z Consumers. Data have been gathered
from 200 consumers of generation Z consumers by issuing questionnaire and adopting
convenience sampling method. It is found that there is a significant difference between
preference and income, influence group, amount spent, occasion for purchase, attraction,
price, fashion, convenience satisfaction of generation Z consumers on branded products.
