Did you know that across America retailers are charging more for products targeted at women than those targeted at men? Gender pricing, or the pink tax, is shamelessly being levied on the fairer sex, and the worst part is you don’t even know that it is happening. Same brands, same size same active ingredients – still the charges for women are higher and lower for men. From identical shirts, to shaving razors, deodorant and chocolates, women are paying more than men for the same everyday consumer goods.
Although it’s only a few dollars difference at the time of purchase, the bills add up. MarketWatch calculated that if a woman gets one shirt dry cleaned once per month, she would pay $681 more than a man doing the same over the course of 30 years. Women pay an average of $16 more than men per haircut, too.
Gender-based pricing has been an accepted phenomenon since a 1995 California study had revealed that women pay $1,351 a year more for the same products than men. In the United States, California is the only state to ban gender-discriminatory pricing. (It should be noted that sometimes men pay more, for things like clothes in certain outlets, but overall women are charged more in general.)
You are wrong if you think it happens only in America. This secret tax is happening all across the globe. From disposable razors to chocolate, French women are being charged more than men for near-identical products, according to the French rights group Georgette Sand. The group calls it a secret “tax” on women. (CoNN: I’m unsure how chocolate could differ between the genders. Must be a French thing.)
And why are women paying more? Here’s why the women’s version sometimes costs more…
“One is the idea that men’s products are thought of as the standard product – the neutral or base product – but the women’s version is usually a “special” version or a side product. It all comes down to a theory being debated, that women are considered “the other” and different, and thus it being OK to charge a premium for the product even if it’s no different.”
“The other reason is that they’re probably just able to get away with it. I’m not privy to the conversations going on in these organisations, so I’m not sure, but I dare say that if they can find a way to make a profit on women’s products by making them cost more, then they’ll probably continue doing it,” Kelsey Cooke, senior campaigner, GetUp, which recently launched The Gender Price Gap website in Australia told Daily Mail.
Maybe it’s time to start buying men’s product instead if they’re cheaper and fit your needs. What say you, ladies?
It’s expensive to be a woman. Read more about the #PinkTax: http://t.co/V5jXm2C5Ax #NoTaxOnTampons
— I’m Essential (@CDNMenstruators) April 23, 2015
Before you say #IDontNeedFeminism, check out the #pinktax hashtag. Women are getting screwed out of thousands of dollars…for being female. — Olivia A. Cole (@RantingOwl) April 22, 2015
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Are you seriously comparing a woman’s haircut to a man’s haircut as if they resemble one another with a straight face? Come on – my haircut takes 15 minutes. My wife can go to the salon for 2 hours.
Razors? if the only difference is that one is pink and one is blue (or whatever), but the blue one – there is no rule indicating gender for razors.
Clothes – my cotton dress shirt versus some silky blouse – they’re different.
And, OMG, this is an Anonymous article? Slow news day?
Actually if you see the website, it does make sense. Why should women have to pay more for a razor than a man?
Why should women pay more for the same shirt made with the same material almost the same size?
However, I do agree to the point on hair cuts, BUT if a woman has a short hair cut and just wants to touch it up a bit, she shouldn’t have to pay more. Not to mention you have to think about men with long hair wanting to get their hair cut. Should they pay cheaper for the same thing that women with long hair pay?
I am not really a feminist, but I do agree with gender equality. I do understand the upped amount for make up. But for basic everyday items? Sorry, but it’s sexist and discriminatory.
If this is true. This extra cost happens cause when women needs just go and buy. Men for example find something to expensive and buy the cheaper with no care for smells or anything. The shaving foam was expensive then we use none to shave. Etc… the women on the counter part cares about smeels to status of the brand. This fenomenon has being created and reeinforces for not other than women. Just buy cheap and generic if you want to fight it. Can u?
they should not pay more for the clothing made from the same material, they are willing to do so. thats the difference. a man will not waste money on expensive clothing if he has no need for it.
long ago i started shopping for jeans, t-shirts, hoodies and socks in the men’s department because they are cheaper than the women’s, and better quality. they look just as feminine on me as the women’s versions.
well, my wife’s been using men’s shaving foam for like ages, it’s cheaper and gets the job done. And her legs taste no different after shower using that
What about her vagina? Does that taste good? Please explain in detail.
Jesus Christ, people!
A. Feminists DO NOT hate men! REAL feminists want equality!
B. Go to any Walmart in the country… go to the tshirt section and grab a Batman t from the mens and women’s. Same shirt. The women’s is more $$$ And that’s just Walmart. Think of what decent retailers are charging.
C. The razor thing. No, the color of a razor doesn’t matter, but the bottom line is, the one that is being marketed towards a woman is more expensive. I personally go through dollarshaveclub.com because they’re great razors and i don’t care about the color, but some people DO and they shouldn’t be charged more for things that are being sold to their gender. Regardless of which one you actually purchase, the price is different.
D. Let’s talk about my neccessities, shall we? Tampons, bras, panties, hygiene supplies. Tampons are not as cut and dry as they may seem. You can’t always just go with the cheapest brand. It’s a “gget what you pay for” kind of deal and i have to make that deal every month. Bras. Anyone notice how fucking expensive bras are!? Did i ask for tits or for my body to punish me for not being pregnant!? No! If you have a shitty bra, it hurts your back And shoulders and chest. It can even cause breast pain. So i have to pay $30+ to make sure my fucking tits don’t fall off. My panties are expensive and that’s the ones that aren’t even cute (from what i understand, boxers are stupidly expensive too). My basic shampoo and conditioner are more expensive than my boyfriend’s. My styling products are too.
E. Don’t be a butthurt little prick because people bring to light that gender discrimination is a real fucking thing. Wake up. And don’t be ashamed to stand up for women! If you’re a REAL feminist, you want ALL genders to be treated equally! I am not a man hater and i recognize the hardships that men face. I’m sorry to say that women get the short end of the stick MOST of the time and men can help us put an end to it. We’re all human and we all have feelings THAT MATTER. We should be held to the same standards.
This may seem small, but it’s the small things that get changed that make it easier to change big things in the future.
Thank you. I hate the immediate defensive responses from some people. And news flash buddy, I went to cosmetology school, men’s and Womens basic haircuts take about the same amount of time, its the blow drying of long hair that takes the most time. In fact, most long layered Womens hair cuts are easier than a good fade any day. As for dry cleaning, my blouses actually take less time to iron or care for than my husband’s but when we take them to a dry cleaner, mine cost more….go figure. I just buy mens t-shirts now and get most hair care products online in bulk to save money.
Equality for razors! Joine the new hate group The Productists!
I always seem to get guys jackets and sometimes jewellery because of how cheap it is because girls jackets and jewellery are more expensive. The way some girls get treated in this society is unfair.
A good way to fight for equality is to buy gender neutral or buy mens products, I mean let’s get real. You boycott feminized products and pay for the same thing as a male and sales would go down. And as far as haircuts go if your spending nearly $300 at a salon I’m pretty sure your paying for the name. Honestly I could get a haircut for 10-20 bucks. You don’t need a master stylist… I mean come on you wanna talk “equality” go to a salon on the west side. It may not be name brand but as as far as I’ve known they have a cosmotology licsence as well.
so… first off, if the pink razors are more, start buying blue ones. second of all, the haircuts women get are (not always but generally) harder to do and generally take longer than men’s.
i gotta say though, at least where i live, women always pay less for clothes. girls can get shirts for like 4 bucks, whereas i can’t find a shirt for less than ten unless it’s on sale. i don’t know if maybe this is just my area, but we shop at target and they always find better deals on clothes than i do.
also, who is to say that all these products are only for women? cross-dressers and metro-sexuals are also affected (or not) by this. i myself am a man who buys cover-up on a regular basis. why you ask? cuz i’m almost 30 and still getting pimples and i’m sick of going out in public looking like shit. so make-up and other “female” products aren’t entirely for women and shouldn’t be generalized as such.
this does seem like “slow news day” writing, but then again so have all the other anonymous articles written recently. at least this author seems to know how to use a spell-checker.
The haircuts are not more difficult on women, the blow drying just takes more time. I went to cosmetology school and long layers are easier than a good fade any day. The price difference for the 2 services is unreal.