CHANGES IN THE SPENDING ON CLOTHING IN POLISH HOUSEHOLDS IN THE YEARS 1993-2003

The paper discusses changes occurred in the spending on clothing made in Polish households falling into various socio-economic groups, within the period 1993-2003. Analysis of the expenditures was based on the data provided by the 'Household Budgets' bulletins for the years 1993-2003 and was carried out using descriptive econometric models (linear and exponential). The paper examines the impact which on the volume of the spending on clothing had: the amount of the available income, demographic variables - the average number of consumption units and the average number of people per household, and membership to a certain socio-economic group. Households were divided into seven such groups: 1 - households of persons employed as blue-collars; 2 - households of employees not being blue collars; 3 - households of employees running a farm; 4 - farmer households; 5 - households of the self-employed; 6 - households of pensioners/old age pensioners; 7 - households relying on unearned income. Analysis of the data concerning households relying on unearned income was presented for the period 1993-1999 as, since the year 2000, the structure of the examined groups was changed by the Central Statistical Office, the group in question being omitted. In this connection a drop in expenditures on clothing can be observed, down to a zero, in the households relying on unearned income, although it does not mean that no purchasing of clothing was made there.