One of the things most men know they should not do is go through or ask about a woman's purse. A purse is one of the more sacred things a woman has in her life. And how she keeps it and what kinds she has are all up to her. Men should never ask how or why if a woman is carrying her items in paper sacks, for example. Because women have varying needs for personal bags, companies have devoted much time and effort into creating many different types of purses for women. Below, is a list of the different types of purses women may have and the functions for each.

1. The most common type of carry-all that women have is a regular purse. Nowadays these will vary in size, but overall they are a somewhat similar size and style. Most purses have some kind of zipper at the top, so the items do not spill out if a woman has to move. Women usually carry their everyday items in purses, such as a cell phone, an iPod, a wallet, a little makeup, some pens, usually a brush, and some paper. These are just the basic things that may be stored in this item.

2. Smaller than a purse, would be a clutch. Many women use clutches for an evening out, when they only want to carry the essential items like lipstick, credit cards, an I.D., and some cash. These normally look much dressier than a purse, since they come in darker tones and usually have sequence, jewels, or some other type of sparkle on them. A clutch does not have a shoulder strap, but rather it is just carried in the hand.

3. Another thing a woman might carry is a larger, open purse. High school and college students usually use these purses to hold textbooks, notebooks, and computers. They are much larger than a normal purse and rarely do they have a zipper at the top to keep items from falling out. These have a more casual appearance and some young ladies may choose to monogram them to put their own style on them. Finally, these are also very customizable so young females are able to show a little bit of their personality when they use these purses.

4. For moms, there is a purse for carrying kids' items. This type of purse usually has many different compartments for the many different needs of children. Depending on the age of the child, a mom might need to have a bottle, snacks, diapers, cleaning wipes, and toys all in one bag, so these bags are usually mad to be wider than purses, yet still manageable.

5. Messenger purses are made, now, for both men and women. Women and men alike in the business world usually use them for their electronics, such as laptops, iPads and mp3 players. They can, of course, also be used for work documents that are important.

It is interesting how purses have evolved over the years as the needs of women have become more varied and companies have learned that different women want different things. Companies today have to work hard to get women to buy their products by differentiating themselves from the rest of the crowd.