A Study on the Relationship between Conspicuous Consumption of Clothing and Status Inconsistency

의복의 과시적 소비현상과 사회적 지위 불일치와의 관계 연구

The purpose of this study was to find out the relationship between the conspicuous consumption of clothing and status inconsistency. For this study, two kinds of guestionnaires were conducted to collect data for the conspicuous consumption variables of clothing and status inconsistency variables. Status inconsistency was measured by educational levels and occupational levels of married women and their husbands, the family′s total income. Status inconsistency was defined by the inconsistency among married women′s and their husband′s educational levels, family′s total income, their husband′s occupational levels. In order to investigate status inconsistency effects, when their investment (education0 are lower than their rewards (income or occupation) they are classified as over-rewarded inconsistency, while their investments is higher than their rewards, as under-rewarded inconsistency, and their investments are equal to their rewards, as consistency. The conspicuous consumption variables in clothing were consisted of seven variables; Brand-oriented, Fashion-oriented, Leisure-showing, Leisure-oriented purchase of clothing and Excessive expenditure to purchase of clothing, purchase of Imitation clothing in well-known brand and purchase of Expensive clothing from abroad. Data were obtained fro m436 housewives living in Kwang-ju are a and analyzed by F-test, Pearson′s Correlation and Frequency. The results of this study were follow; When the subjects were divided into three group according to their status inconsistency type, there were significant differences (P<.05 or P<.01) among groups of conspicuous consumption variables in clothing. The groups of "under pivileged" status inconsistency type and "over rewarded" status inconsistency type were tend to show conspicuous consumption in clothing than other type of status inconsistency groups.