Modern archaeology If it's in the bag, women feel prepared

"Women get a kick out of being prepared. A handbag makes her feel emotionally and physically prepared and feeds her self esteem," Styring told Reuters.

The study, detailed in a book "In Your Purse: Archaeology of the American Handbag," found the average woman owns about 10 handbags but only uses two to three on a regular basis.

The average purse weighed 3.4 pounds (1.5 kgs) including its contents and contained 67 items.

"While women buy a lot of bags because they are pretty, the ones they use most are the functional ones," said Styring.