Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Gender Influences Tastes

That men and women often like different movies, books, and TV shows is sufficiently well-known to be uncontroversial. That men and women like different cars has been the subject of good-natured banter on such TV programs as CBS's NCIS.

Here is an article from Forbes that deals seriously with the automotive taste difference. Not surprisingly, men are much more likely to buy heavy duty pickup trucks, Corvettes and large SUVs while women are more likely to buy Saturns, Volkswagens and Hondas.

I'm of the opinion that it is okay for men and women to have different tastes in cars, books, movies, booze and decor. The existence of these differences does not, a priori, constitute discrimination against anybody. The issue of whether these gender-based taste differences are learned or innate is quite another matter, one upon which I do not choose to opine.