London, June 30 (IANS) A typical woman’s handbag contains everyday essentials worth around 342 pounds including three debit and credit cards, a British study has found.
A typical woman’s handbag contains a mobile phone worth 105 pounds, an MP3 player costing 47 pounds and a purse worth 28 pounds. In addition to that, it also contains a leather organiser worth 40 pounds, make-up totalling 18 pounds and an average of 28 pounds in cash, Daily Mail reported.
‘This means collectively the nation’s women step out the house with a staggering seven billion worth of kit hanging over their shoulders,’ the study carried out by itsmyid.co.uk, makers of high-tech passport covers, said.
‘I think 342 pounds is a conservative estimate. Many women also carry photographs in their purses or keepsakes from family which are unlikely to ever be returned if your bag is lost or stolen,’ Victoria Barrett of www.itsmyid.co.uk, said.
‘This research shows that it’s paramount to keep your belongings and identity safe. But what it doesn’t take into account is the cost of losing your ID if your passport is cloned, let alone getting new keys cut for your house or car and the inconvenience of having to cancel your credit cards and pay for a new driving licence.’
‘This study highlights the importance of keeping your belongings and identity as secure as possible. Material items can be replaced but once a criminal has stolen your identity it takes a considerable time to rectify the havoc that can be caused,’ she said.
The study also revealed nearly 60 percent women carry documents in their handbag, which contain their name and address, as well as their house and car keys.
Around 71 percent said they often have their passport or driving licence in their handbag and an ‘unfortunate’ 18 percent of them have had their handbag either lost or stolen and as a result also their identity documents.
