Female Supremacy Articles - Page 22

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The only things a husband will get to decide on, said Yu, are the electric wires and pipes.

"Women definitely have a dominant impact on the design of the bathroom, for the colour and pattern of the ceramic tiles and the brand of toilet, but the husband will ask how the pipes are laid," Yu said.

Yu concludes that the most frequently asked questions by husbands are "price, the material for floors and electricity safety."

When it comes to the traditionally male topic of cars, the situation is a bit different.

Chen Yixuan, a marketing executive for Shanghai VW Corp, said the final decision on which car to buy will only be made after a thorough discussion between husband and wife.

"Usually, the main priority for both husbands and wives is price. But after that, wives care more about colour, appearance and comfort while husbands are more concerned with horsepower, functions and interior gadgets."

In the VW range, Chen said, women generally prefer the compact Polo, while men go for the larger Passat.

Singaporean co-founder and Web designer of wow-her.com, Lydia Yan, now lives in Shanghai.

Singaporean men are also sometimes branded with the "henpecked" label, she said, something they have learned to shrug off.

"Shanghai men are more savvy, polite and well-mannered than Singaporean men, generally speaking. Shanghai men have their own appeal just as Singaporean men do," she added with a smile.