Abstract

      The study examined how attitudes of middle-aged women towards a gendered dress code influence the choice of dress. The interpretive enquiry involved a case study.  In-depth face-to-face interviews and observations were the data collecting tools. Ten women aged between thirty and fifty were purposefully sampled from Southerton suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe. Qualitative data collected were presented in narrative forms. The findings indicate that most women held conservative attitudes, and their choice of dress was largely influenced by conservative ideas of a gendered dress code which is based on the Zimbabwean culture. In addition, the findings indicate that religion and acculturation are pivotal as influencing factors on choice of dress. The study recommends that the Zimbabwe clothing industry engage in periodic research activity that seeks to establish consumer attitudes in order to cater for all categories of consumers.

Key words: gendered dress, conservative attitudes, liberal attitudes, beliefs, acculturation.