Pink Tax: Women Pay More

Women have been at an economic disadvantage over men for decades. Factors like being paid less than men for the same work and charged higher rates than men for services like car maintenance are just a couple of the factors that put women at a lower economic standing than men. Another leading factor in this inequality between genders is the pink tax. 

What is the pink tax? It is defined by Very Well Mind as “the price difference between any product marketed to women and comparable products for men.” Essentially, women are charged more for everyday products like body wash and razors than men are for the exact same products. Studies have shown that women pay 42% more than men on certain products, which amounts to almost $2,000 of additional expenses every year. This pricing trend was dubbed the pink tax because, in most of these cases regarding products, the only difference between those for men and women is the color of the packaging.

Another factor of the pink tax is punishing women for needing certain products that men don’t. For example, the government regulators consider feminine hygiene products like pads and tampons to be considered to be “luxury items.” Companies use this title as an excuse for “loading up the sales tax at the store,” according to Money Check. Just because men do not use these products, for obvious reasons, does not mean they need to be identified as “luxury items.” Why are women being taxed extra for products they need due to a natural bodily process?

Though it is referred to as the pink tax, this difference between men and women’s products is a discriminatory pricing practice based on gender. The Balance, a personal finance management website, stated that recent data collected on the pink tax found that “women’s products may cost up to 50% more than similar products for men.” If these products are the same regardless of gender, why are they priced higher for women? This data also found that during the 1990s, “64% of stores in several major cities charged more to wash and dry clean a woman’s blouse than a man’s button-up.” This trend in pricing has been another way for product companies to exploit their female consumers for decades. 

Though some plans and policies have been put into place to change this pricing trend, most states have no regulations or laws in place that ban companies from exploiting their consumers in this way. In addition, no federal law currently prohibits pricing differences on identical products for men and women. As of now, there are only slight changes being made to fix this pricing discrimination, but women everywhere hope that this cost gap, just like the salary gap, will one day be eradicated.

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