In fact, American women spend twice as much as men on clothing. On the other hand, American society exerts enormous pressure on women to look good and stay in fashion. This same pressure is what drives women to spend more than men on all types of personal-care products and cosmetics, not to mention cosmetic surgery. It may also be much of the reason why women make up 94 percent of Boise, Idaho-based orthopedic surgeon Michael J.Coughlin's foot surgery patients. Because women's dress shoes have not traditionally been made with comfort in mind or with much concern for backs and feet, an estimated 80 million American women suffer from foot problems, according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.
Women spend more on health insurance, too.
This is partly because their reproductive systems are more complex than men's. Even so, many of the two most commonly performed surgeries in the U.S. are unnecessary, according to Dr. Sidney Wolfe, author of Women's Health Alert. He estimates that one in four hysterectomies and half of cesarean sections could be avoided. Furthermore, most contraceptives are female-based, and women often end up bearing the brunt of the financial burden for birth control. Women also buy two-thirds of prescribed tranquilizers and sedatives.