Let's ignore for now the debate on the gender wage gap and the myriad of explanations and half-explanations for it (but note that as of 2020 per Pew, women made 84% what men did: Gender pay gap in U.S. held steady in 2020).
Let's also ignore some aspects of the Pink Tax, the phenomenon whereby unnecessarily gendered products (like pink razors) cost more for women than the male equivalents. After all, we can just buy the 10 pack of the blue razors rather than the similarly priced 5 pack of the pink razors.
What gets interesting is when the products have functional differences, yet the Pink Tax still applies: razors specifically meant for legs (which women are disproportionately affected by), t-shirts with particular fits and cuts that aren't more expensive to produce, but which are sold more expensively than the male equivalents.
For instance, in 2015, a study in New York (https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/partners/Study-of-Gender-Pricing-in-NYC.pdf) found that on average, women's products cost 7% more than similar men's products:
How much does this cost women over a lifetime? In 1994, California studied the issue of gender-based pricing and estimated that women effectively paid a "gender tax" annually of about $1,351 (keep in mind that's 1994 dollars). (CA State Senate 1995, Gender Tax Repeal Act of 1995, AB 1100. Aug 31, 1995)
Now, how about the fact that society pressures women to use more personal care products: we are expected to wear makeup to "look nice" at work, we are largely expected to shave more of our bodies. We wear bras, which for male feminists here, I assure you are expensive. We don't always have functioning pockets, so we wind up carrying purses (which cost more than mens' pocket wallets). We use entire categories of care products men don't have to worry about, like "feminine hygiene" products.
It is genuinely more expensive to be a woman.
Now, what can be done about this? I think a good start is efforts to alleviate the burden of nearly-inescapable costs like feminine hygiene products like Scotland has done (Scotland Becomes 1st Country To Make Period Products Free).
I think it would be fairly easy to legislate against blatant Pink Taxes (whereby a nearly identical product is artificially gendered, then "shrinked and pinked," i.e., take the same product, reduce the number of product you get for the same price, and market this one to women).
I don't know what can be done about other "gender taxes." For instance when it comes to clothing, how exactly can it be determined if a women's shirt cost more to produce or has more value than a men's shirt of similar make (but different cut)?
Anyone have thoughts?
Let's also ignore some aspects of the Pink Tax, the phenomenon whereby unnecessarily gendered products (like pink razors) cost more for women than the male equivalents. After all, we can just buy the 10 pack of the blue razors rather than the similarly priced 5 pack of the pink razors.
What gets interesting is when the products have functional differences, yet the Pink Tax still applies: razors specifically meant for legs (which women are disproportionately affected by), t-shirts with particular fits and cuts that aren't more expensive to produce, but which are sold more expensively than the male equivalents.
For instance, in 2015, a study in New York (https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/partners/Study-of-Gender-Pricing-in-NYC.pdf) found that on average, women's products cost 7% more than similar men's products:
- 7% more for toys and accesories
- 4% more for children's clothing
- 8% more for adult clothing
- 13% (!!!) more for personal care products
- 8% more for senior/home health care products
How much does this cost women over a lifetime? In 1994, California studied the issue of gender-based pricing and estimated that women effectively paid a "gender tax" annually of about $1,351 (keep in mind that's 1994 dollars). (CA State Senate 1995, Gender Tax Repeal Act of 1995, AB 1100. Aug 31, 1995)
Now, how about the fact that society pressures women to use more personal care products: we are expected to wear makeup to "look nice" at work, we are largely expected to shave more of our bodies. We wear bras, which for male feminists here, I assure you are expensive. We don't always have functioning pockets, so we wind up carrying purses (which cost more than mens' pocket wallets). We use entire categories of care products men don't have to worry about, like "feminine hygiene" products.
It is genuinely more expensive to be a woman.
Now, what can be done about this? I think a good start is efforts to alleviate the burden of nearly-inescapable costs like feminine hygiene products like Scotland has done (Scotland Becomes 1st Country To Make Period Products Free).
I think it would be fairly easy to legislate against blatant Pink Taxes (whereby a nearly identical product is artificially gendered, then "shrinked and pinked," i.e., take the same product, reduce the number of product you get for the same price, and market this one to women).
I don't know what can be done about other "gender taxes." For instance when it comes to clothing, how exactly can it be determined if a women's shirt cost more to produce or has more value than a men's shirt of similar make (but different cut)?
Anyone have thoughts?
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