What does it mean to be a woman? Many female students around campus had alarming answers. In addition to things you might expect, such as being nurturers and the ability to bear a child,I was told that being a woman means being treated as a second class citizen and feeling out of control when it comes to their civil and reproductive rights. Many social injustices against women have been restored. Where once we were a population that was considered unable of holding a respectable job or voting in elections, women are now strong, capable individuals. Unfortunately, forms of discrimination remain; women continue to be charged more than men for basic necessities. How, you ask? Through something activists today are calling the Pink Tax.
The Pink Tax is the price gap that exists between male products and their female counterparts. Studies have found that women pay more for the exact same products as men, and the most common offenders are soap, razors, and deodorant. Before you get yourself worked up, let’s clarify this scenario. We’re not talking about women purchasing luxurious razors with multiple blades opposed to men opting for disposable razors, we’re comparing identical products from the same brands. A study by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that an eight pack of women’s pink disposable razors cost $3.30 while a ten pack of men’s blue disposable razors from the same brand cost $2.20; that’s an 11 percent upcharge for women. This phenomenon is referred to as “pink it and shrink it”, meaning manufacturers design products in a bright shade of pink, shrink the amount of product per package, and bada bing, bada boom, it’s ready hit the stores and rip off women everywhere. Additionally, the study found when it comes to hair care products used by both sexes, products marketed towards women are priced at 48 percent more than the same items intended for men. Chances are, if the label is pretty, pink, or boasts the label “women’s,” it’s most likely one of the overpriced perpetrators of the Pink Tax.
When I first heard of the Pink Tax, I assumed higher prices were associated with products of superior quality, such as a women’s anti-aging face wash opposed to a generic soap targeted at men. I was wrong. Upon doing further research, I was outraged to learn that companies had been taking advantage of women by overcharging them for inferior quantities of product. Take into account that women in the workforce earn less annually than men, approximately 70 cents to every dollar a man makes, in addition to being overcharged for necessities, and we’re dealing with a double whammy here. A few extra cents here and there may not seem like much, but it is estimated that women pay an average of $1,351 more a year than men. I’m not sure about you, but that’s money I prefer to to keep in my pocket. This prompted me to ask what I could do to stop the Pink Tax.
As a frugal shopper, it made sense that if men’s products are cheaper, I should purchase those opposed to the female alternatives. In my experience, if I wear men’s deodorant, I don’t shed a drop of sweat and as a bonus, smell great! Wear women's deodorant and I end up smelling like scented sweat. So what’s the big issue if women can make the switch over to men’s products? The answer is their time. An educated consumer compares prices on similar products, but it takes over twice the amount of time to evaluate an entire section of women’s products, do the same in the men’s aisle, and then decide between the top products from each section. Imagine going through that procedure for every item on your shopping list. If time is money, then switching to men’s brands doesn’t solve the issue at hand, it just changes the way it manipulates women.
Ladies, if you don’t mind throwing an item with a higher price tag in your cart, then by all means do so! However, if you find this price gap as ridiculous as I do, I suggest you quit using all things pretty and pink and purchase men’s brands.
