Pink Tax

Clink, clink, clink. That’s the noise of the cash register taking more money from my pocket for women’s products. Women’s and men’s razors are practically the same product, yet there is one critical difference between the two — the cost.

Whenever I’m walking through the store, I always scan the aisles for equality, but all I find is inequality. Pink Tax — the tendency for products marketed towards women to be more expensive than products marketed towards men — is all over the world. When I walk into the store, I’m not looking to pay more for being a certain gender. For something so obviously wrong, it’s everywhere.

According to Investopedia, “Women going about their daily lives have encountered more instances of costlier products marketed toward women than nearly identical products targeted toward men—and far fewer examples of the opposite.”

Being a woman, you just have to accept that your favorite shampoo may be $2.00 extra than the exact same men’s version living on the shelf right next to it. Ads of multiple brands that promote hygiene products for women have stated that if you do not use their products, you won’t “look your best self.” Instead they promise that with their product women will receive power, invincibility and save the world — all while charging those women extra.

In 1994, the State of California studied the issue of gender-based pricing of services and estimated that women effectively paid an annual ‘gender tax’ of approximately $1,351 for the same services as men.
Instead of paying thousands more for the same product, women could spend the same money in their insurance, or donate to charities. Pink Tax is not only discriminating against women; it also affects women’s mental health.

According to a 2022 Bankrate poll, 46% of women reported that money negatively impacts their mental health, compared to 38% of men. What is especially disappointing is that women’s wellbeing and security are not as important as the amount of money corporations are making. Women struggle with all aspects of equality —being voting and reduced pay, and countless others. Men, on the other hand, struggle with far less of these issues. And they have the ability to help.

“Dismantling and changing patriarchal is work that men and women must do together,” said Bell Hooks, author of “The Will To Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love.”

There are a lot of women in the world that would appreciate not having to pay more for the same product due to its color. In order to succeed in eradicating gender discrimination, men have to speak up too. I believe that this is a topic that anybody can stand up for. The real question is, are you going to?