The document presents the findings of a comparative study on the consumer behavior of 20 suburban housewives in Bidhanpally, India regarding beauty soaps and dishwashing bars. The study found that housewives have different approaches to these two products. They are willing to compromise on dishwashing bars but have specific preferences for beauty soaps influenced by societal emphasis on external beauty. Education and advertisements also impact their choices more for beauty soaps. The study recommends increasing awareness about hygiene, promoting internal health over external beauty, and improving product information and advertising for dishwashing bars.

1. -COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SUBURBAN
HOUSEWIVES’ APPROACH TOWARDS BEAUTY
SOAP AND DISHWASH BAR
PRESENTED BY
MOUMITA DEY
JRF FELLOW,DEPT OF GEOGRAPHY
UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA

2. India has its population about 125.1 million at present time.There is
no doubt India is a lucrative business market for every business
house. In Indian society, women are always considered as
consumption material of men. In case of bridal sittings or office
interview in corporate agency,external beauty is the first and
foremost criteria to judge a woman’s beauty or eligibility. In
India,a huge no of married women are housewives. These women
have done every household task alone. Now a days, in suburban
area, women are allowed to participate in the social activities
outside their houses .Besides this, they can easily enhance their
knowledge about social issues and problems with the help of
mass media but how far these things have changed their concept
about hygine,health and artificial beauty and how does it effect
their consumer behavior-is the main research question of my
paper.

3. Study area: I have collected data from twenty housewives of
Bidhanpally area of Madhyamgram Municipality.
Basic characteristics:It is one of the oldest neighbourhood of
Madhyamgram municipality.
Most of the people of this area are involved in tertiary sector.
It is 15 minutes far away from Madhyamgram rail station and bus
stand.
In this area,there are 20 shops where one can easily buy every
domestic products easily.
Women take part actively in social cultural and political activities
with men.
Every household has electricity connection .
Women are connected with different membership groups like
clubs,friends,cultural organisation,political parties,religious
organisation.

4. Study area map

5. Methodology: Data have been collected from twenty
housewives. Random sampling method has been applied to collect the
data.
I have collected the data from those housewives who take active part
in social and cultural activities and they have their own world out of
their houses.
Then data have been analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively.

6. Objective: I want to analyse the influence of society
on the consumer behaviour of housewives.
I want to highlight the influence of media on the
consumer behavior.
I want to highlight why they have given more importance
to external
Beauty instead internal health.

7. Literature review:
1.In ancient time,women used clay,turmeric,besan to keep their
Body clean.(Mahabharat,kamasutra)
2.The first beauty soap of India introduced in colonial period.Lever
Brother imported the soap and sold them throughout the country.
3.First indian soap manaufacturing company was set up in Meerut
in 1897.
4.Lux was the first international beauty soap of India.
5.Most popular brands of beauty soap are Unilever,Godrej,wipro.
6.Hindustan Unilever has the highest percentage of share 54.3%.
Vim was the most popular dishwash brand in India.60% market is
occupied by Vim.

8. Demographic characteristics of housewives:
35% 25%
40%
<40 40-50 >50
Age structure
0%
20%
40%
60%
Education level
50%
60%
70%
bengali and bothonly bengali
Linguistic structure
0%
50%
100%
jointnuclear
Family structure

9. Research Hypothesis:
According to philip Kotler and Kevin Lane
Keller(Kotler,Keller,2007), A consumer behaviour is
influenced by social factors such reference
groups,family,social role and status. So it can be said that
the consumer behaviour of suburban housewives is
influenced by these factors.Beside this media and
advertisement also controlled their product selection.

10. Approaches of housewives
towards body soap:
1.In this area house wives prefer both the beauty soap and the
antibacterial soap .
2.They mainly prefer dettol and margo in summer season.
In festive season ,they prefer to use beauty soap like Vivel,Lux,
Cinthol.
3.Middle aged educated housewives mainly use beauty soap for
regular use and they bring lotion like dettol,Sudol to prevent
their skin problem.
4.Less educated lower class housewives mainly prefer to use
antibacterial soap as they are not able to buy both the beauty
soap and the lotion.
5.The housewives who live in joint family do not have any
specific choice for body soap .Their family members use a
common body soap.

11. Approaches towards Dishwash
bar:
0%
50%
100%
VimOthers
Preferable
dishwash bar
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Reason for selection

12. Differences between this two approaches
Society:
In case of beauty soap women are more conscious.After a
certain
Age,they have chosen their own beauty soap acording to their
own preferance.Some even told me that their eleder had
suugested them to use beauty soap to become more gorgious
before marriage.All the women have said after marriage,they
become less bothered about the selection of their marriage.So
society actualy forced them to use expensive beauty soap
before marriage .While after marriage ,their first priority is to
save the family budget ,so they have to use the common soap
with other family members.
While in case of dish wash bar, they are very reluctant about
their selection. Elder never gave them any advice related to
this,while after marriage they often talk about this matter
among their friends group.

13. Education:
In different science book, a single paragraph is written on hygine
where
Importance of body soap is clearly demonstrated.But unfortunately
a single word is not written on the importance of dishwash bars.So that
the women can’t make out any difference between the ashes or high
quality dish wash bar. A few housewives have the basic knowledge of
English so they can’t read the ingredients of the dish wash bar and do
not understand its importance.
Culture:
In marriage ceromony,a expensive body soap is sent as a gift
item in the bridal gifts but here the dishwash bar is also
absent.So our culture emphasize on the importance of external
beauty rather than internal health.

14. Impact of advertisement:
Body soap: Housewives can’t remember the advertisement
of beauty
Soap properly.Some of them(5%) only remember the catch line
or offers
Provided by the particular band like the advertisement of lux
where
It has been said that any one can win a gold pendant inside lux.
Whereas 10% women like the advertisement of lifeboy and
dettol
Where the main theme is mother child relationship.
Dish wash: In case of the advertisements of dishwash bar,only
40% women can remember the advertisement of vim bar
presented by serial artist Ram Kapoor.No one can call up the
advertisement of prill presented by shilpa shetty.

15. Major Findings:
1. Women have different approaches towards this two type of soap.
2. They are ready to compromise with dishwash bar .They are ready
to use
3. any dishwash bar without considering their qualities.Whereas they
have
4. Specific choice for body soap.
5. The main criteria of a good dishwash bar is its size and longivity
whereas
6. Fragnence and softness is the main selection criteria for a good
regular soap.
7. In case of body soap,they are not affected by the advertisement,as
they do not watch hindi movies.Whereas ,they can easily remember
the advertisement presented by serial actor and actresses.
8. The main controlling factors of their approach are their age ,Stage
of lifecycle,Economic condition,Family structure,societal concept
of beauty.

16. Recommendation:
1. We have to increase our awareness about hygine.
2. We can start campaign against the myth of external beauty.
3. The manufacturing companies should write about the
ingredients of their products in local language so that the
women can easily judge the product qualities.
4. Advertisements should be made more logically and they must try
to show the antibacterial factors in their advertisements of the
dishwash bars.
5. The body soap manufacturing companies can offer dishwash bars
with their product,so that the poor housewives use a proper
dishwash bar regularly without increasing their monthly family
budget.
6. Both beauty soap and dishwash bar manufacturing companies
introduce serial actress and actresses in their advertisement as
models.

17. Acknowledgement:
1. I want to express my thanks to my guide Dr.Nilanjana Das for her
guidance.
2. I want to express my thanks to my student Samriddhi das
chowdhury who help me to develop my research plan.
3. I am thankful to those housewives who help me by providing
data.
Limitation:
1. Due to shortage of time ,I was not able to collect huge data.
2. Very few literature are available on this topic.
3. Seasonal data has not been collected.

18. Reference:www.blogspot.com
www.iffexpress.com
www.journalijar.com
www.studymode.com
www.brandfootprint-ranking.com
www.emkayglobal.com
Kotler;p,Keller k(2007),Marketing
Management 12th edition,Prentice
Hall of India Private Limited,New
Delhi=110001,pp 174-183,