Have you ever heard of the pink tax? It’s not as cute as it sounds. The pink tax by definition is the extra amount of money women have to pay for essentially the same products that men pay less for. Some of the items include small things such as razors and shampoo to larger expenses like dry cleaning and haircuts.
I recently got a haircut that cost $17. I got three inches off and no styling. My friend (who is a boy) also recently got three inches of his hair cut off with no styling. It cost him $12.
The wage gap between the sexes has been a continuously brought up in debates and national discussions, but no know seems to notice the gap on the other end. Women are still making about 78 cents to every man’s dollar, and they are spending 13 percent more on personal products and eight percent more on clothing. That's not all! This gap affects almost every product that both men and women buy.
Some people suggest to women to just buy the male versions of the products they want. This does take care of the issue on a personal level, but not a national one. The point is not that we have the freedom to buy the male oriented products instead of the female ones if we wanted to spend less, but that we would have to consider making a choice like that because of our gender. Just because something smells like a raspberry instead of a pine tree does not mean it should cost 13 percent more. No fruit scent is worth that price raise.
You can find articles online that support and dismiss the tax, some calling it necessary, others calling it a myth, but you can’t really beat the numbers. It’s hard to say something doesn’t exist when the difference is laid out right in front of your eyes.