Why do women buy compulsively?

Today begins Black Friday , a sales event that promises a series of significant discounts in the run-up to the end-of-year holidays. Its success is such that the last edition of the discount festival closed its sales with nearly 300 million dollars, according to the Santiago Chamber of Commerce. While for some the Black Friday It’s the occasion in the year when we can take the opportunity to buy what we couldn’t afford at the normal price, for others, it’s the celebration of unbridled consumerism.

For many women, this spirit of “taking advantage” and buying more than necessary because it’s on sale, is present in their subconscious all year round and not just at Christmas. Compulsive buying is characterized by frequent worries, impulses or excessive behaviors regarding purchases and spending, which are experienced as irresistible, intrusive and meaningless, research has found.

Problematic drinking, for many, is only evident when they see themselves sinking, “in the financial hole” unable to maintain their accommodation lifestyle , nor to pay monthly fees to the bank. And even if they recognize it’s a problem, they can’t stop: they keep buying. Victoria Vergara, for example, is 31 years old and has a debt of 15 million pesos.

“I realized that the consumption I was carrying was problematic this year, when my credit cards were running out of space. He owed the bank about 15 million pesos. To organize myself financially, I applied for other loans to reduce debt payments. I started thinking more about the things I wanted to buy and when the urge hits, I try to resist it by thinking of something else.

I have two air fryers, three ovens, and two vacuum cleaners. I bought them all because I convinced myself I needed one, one for every situation. Orders arrive regularly at my house. AliExpress either Free market , which were probably just useless things that added to my ant expenses. This obviously brought discussions to the table with my partner. He tells me that I buy unnecessary things and asks me to sell an oven or a vacuum cleaner to pay off the debts.

I understand that it is a mistake, but buying gives me satisfaction, which increased even more after the birth of my daughter. I realized that shopping gives me the same pleasure as eating, but I also feel powerful being able to have things, even if I don’t need them. And I buy even if I don’t need it because I convince myself that I need what I’m buying, so when I buy it, I don’t feel so guilty,” says Victoria.

Chile still owes a significant debt in terms of gender equality, says Carolina Molina, psychologist and coach, who has dedicated herself for twelve years to the study of financial mentality and the relationship that people have with money. “Beyond the official curriculum requiring boys and girls to receive financial education, we still unconsciously operate under many gender biases. Money remains “a matter for men”, believes the specialist.