Meanings of material possessions as reflections of identity: gender and social-material position in society

Explores the meanings women and men from different social-material strata in the UK attach to their personal possessions. 16 female and 20 male business commuters and 24 female and 26 male unemployed Ss listed their 5 most treasured possessions and wrote open-ended statements concerning the reasons why they considered each important. Men were mainly concerned with the instrumental and use-related features of possessions, whereas women equally emphasized that possessions symbolized emotional attachment and interpersonal relationships. Also, business commuters were mostly concerned with possessions as unique symbols of their personal history and self-development, in contrast to the unemployed Ss' focus on possessions' utilitarian aspects, financial value, and emotional, mood-adjusting features