Study: Women Use Debit Cards To Manage Finances

PURCHASE, N.Y. - A growing number of women use debit cards to manage personal and family finances, according to the results of the "Women in the Financial Marketplace" analysis, part of the Yankelovich MONITOR 2006/07 study. The study, commissioned by MasterCard Worldwide, found that debit card usage by women has more than doubled since 2003, growing from 20% to 43%.

"We found that with their added responsibilities, women today are time-starved and looking for financial management solutions that can simplify their lives and free up more time. In fact, the average woman is cramming 38 hours into a 24-hour day," said Patricia Preston, group head, Debit Product Management-Americas, MasterCard Worldwide. "And, women now represent 61% of the most frequent debit-card users, relying on debit for the purchasing flexibility and management it affords."

For info: www.mastercard.com.