Survey finds men and women have different appliance priorities

BENTON HARBOR A recent survey commissioned by Whirlpool found that when given the chance to make a new appliance purchase, men and women chose different appliances. When asked if they could replace one appliance in the home, 26% of males aged 35 to 44 said they would replace the refrigerator while 24% of their female counterparts said they would replace the dishwasher.

"Loads of laundry are being refolded and dishwashers reloaded because of differing opinions between spouses," said Dr. Pepper Schwartz, chief relationship expert for Perfectmatch.com and co-creator of the Duet Compatibility System. "However, men are definitely starting to pay more attention. When it comes to new technology, especially things that are modern, cost-effective and ecologically friendly, men are tuned in - the Whirlpool survey results revealed that 71% of males aged 35 to 44 know what high efficiency (HE) means in terms of laundry appliances as compared to 54% of females in the same age group."

The survey also found that 23% of males aged 18 to 34 said residue on glasses was their biggest dishwasher performance issue, and 18% of females in the same age group say unclean dishes after the cycle finishes are their biggest gripe. One thing men and women can agree on - energy efficiency. When asked what is most important with regard to appliance efficiency, the majority of men and women (83% and 85% respectively) listed energy over water or time as their top choice.