The conversation surrounding the pink tax was first sparked by the direct discriminatory actions of employers who were paying their female employees less than their male counterparts. This realization led to additional questioning by the community, yet employers could not produce a logical answer to support this inconsistency. Why are women paying more for their sanitary products compared to men? Why do women pay more for dry cleaning? Why are items that are pink more expensive than the same items from the same brand that are blue? The extra money women pay for specific products or services is called the Pink Tax, also known as price discrimination or gendered pricing. What’s even more surprising is that most women are not even aware of this unfair pricing and the extent to which it costs them every year.
With any claim, such as this one, there needs to be proof for the matter. We must first be able to prove that the pink tax exists before we can speak on matters pertaining to the issue. Deeming an act as being discriminatory is the tentative conclusion that is made only when all other economic explanations have been exhausted. One question that is raised is whether the products that are being compared are, as a matter of fact, the same. Are there enough differences between similar products geared towards men and women to warrant a price difference? Another factor that has to be taken into account is considering whether or not this price difference is due to product differentiation. Product differentiation is “the process of distinguishing a product or service from others to make it more attractive to a particular target market.” This marketing strategy can lead to price differences in products that the consumer may deem similar but is actually a cause of the difference in quality, function, availability, etc. While this may seem somewhat reasonable, it is difficult to support the price disparity for most female products, which further questions the existence of a Pink Tax.
The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that a pack of women’s razors would cost an average of $8.90, while the men’s would only cost $7.99. In addition, women pay 40% more for basic haircuts, 64% more for dry cleaning, 30% more for car repairs, 0.4% more for mortgage interest rates. Even if the price differences in haircuts and dry cleaning can be summed up to a result in service differentiation, why are women paying more for car repairs and mortgage interest rates when these services are not specific to any gender? Clearly, there is no difference in car repair services offered to men compared to women, so why are women paying 30% more on average? In addition, ParseHub, a data mining company, conducted a study and found that on personal care items alone, women pay considerably more than men. The study, looking at 3,191 personal care products from three popular Canadian retailers, provided evidence to show that the pink tax exists and came to the conclusion, “it is clear that gram for gram, women are paying more than men for basic products like shampoo, razors, soap, and deodorant." However, this study could not prove the reasoning behind this price difference, providing yet another explanation for why this unfair tax should not exist.
Regardless of if you believe whether the Pink Tax is truly a form of discrimination or it is the result of the capitalistic agendas of companies that are trying to take advantage of all women’s basic needs for hygiene products, the overall struggle for women to afford these necessary items is real. On period products alone, women in Canada spend nearly $6000 dollars, which does not include other pink taxed products and services such as dry cleaning, clothing, deodorant, etc. This cost does not include the other factors such as living in rural areas (compared to urban areas), low socio-economic background, indigenous women, unemployed women and many more. The overall conversation, for the time being, should be steered towards how we can support these underprivileged women to save on their hygiene and other products.
The best way to avoid the pink tax is by learning about businesses that are actively working towards eliminating this discrimination and advertising more affordable products. One of these companies is Billie, founded by owners Georgina Gooley and Jason Bravman. This company offers razor subscriptions that ship four razors for a collective $9 with free shipping. The customers can choose how frequently they want these razors delivered, how many cartridges they need and some of their larger subscriptions include shaving cream and body lotion as well. If the cost is not impressive enough, they donate a percentage of their revenue to support women and important causes around the world such as YWCA, Black Girls Code and Black and AAPI communities in light of the racially discriminating events that have taken place over the past year.
A more general trick to saving on pink-taxed products would be to shop for unisex or men’s products as much as possible. Christine Whelan, a professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin Madison, advises that buying unisex deodorant and razors is just as effective, if not more, than buying these products that are specifically geared towards women. For example, the one-use razors recommended for shaving delicate facial hair for men can be used up to five times for shaving body hair as well. Oftentimes, the prices of products geared towards women are amped up because they contain unnecessary and even unsafe ingredients that can be irritating to your skin. However, there are companies like Mender that aim to produce unisex products that promote simplicity in both the design and formulations of their products. Founded by April Cole Worley, Mender supplies products that are fresh, packaged safely and include all-natural ingredients.
Whether or not you believe the pink tax exists, the adversity that every woman faces when it comes to affording basic products is real. Spending thousands of dollars every year to compensate for natural processes and society set standards such as shaving and wearing makeup is unreasonable as is, and now there is even a tax on these products. However, the first step to tackling any issue is education and awareness for what the pink tax is, why it is an issue that needs to be brought to light and the micro-steps that can be taken by a majority of people to stand against this issue.
Cheshta Gupta
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