Differences in male and female consumers’ perceptions of South African clothing retailers’ corporate social responsibility initiatives

Abstract

This study adopted a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey research design to discern male and female consumers’ perceptions of South African retailers’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) incentives based on the triple bottom line (TBL) framework. TBL evaluates organisational sustainability across social, environmental, and economic domains. Non-probability sampling techniques were used to recruit males and females 18 years and older from diverse demographic backgrounds. A structured online questionnaire was developed based on established CSR perception scales. The female dataset's exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a five-factor solution, and for males, a six-factor solution. Results indicated subtle differences in the genders’ CSR perceptions. While both genders valued clothing retailers’ focus on quality services, fair pricing policies and ethical stakeholder relationships, their perceptions of clothing retailers’ contributions to social and environmental causes differed. Also, males presented a distinct factor, labelled “Economic Performance”, whereas “Local Sourcing” featured amongst females but not males. These findings highlight a gendered divergence in the  perceptions of sourcing strategies, economic success and financial performance in CSR evaluation. Practical suggestions for clothing retailers include that CSR initiatives should be gender-sensitive to promote the TBL dimensions and resonate with gender segments’ concerns. Theoretically, the study enriches CSR discourse, integrating gender insights and contextualising consumers’ CSR perceptions in the local clothing retail sector.