Gift‑Giving as Hidden Emotional Labor

Survey data show U.S. women buy gifts more often across friends, family and life events than men, not just different items; this suggests gift purchasing is an understudied form of unpaid relational work that carries time, cognitive and financial costs. Treating gifting as labor reframes consumer spending patterns as contributions to social reproduction rather than mere preference. — Recognizing gift‑giving as gendered unpaid labor matters for debates over who bears invisible household/relational costs, how marketers target consumers, and whether policy (taxes, caregiving credits or workplace supports) should account for this work.