Have you ever been in a store and noticed that the women’s products are priced more than the men’s? Well, it turns out that there is a reason for that. Women’s products are typically priced more due to something called the “Pink Tax”. This extra tax is only a thing for a few states in the U.S., some of them being North Dakota, Utah and Georgia. This extra added tax can range from a 4-7% upcharge.
This extra charge, I personally think, is ridiculous and should be removed in all states.
The only reason these items are being extra taxed is that period products are considered a luxury, not a necessity. The average woman goes through around 40 period products per menstrual cycle. Because we go through so many products per month, the pink tax could cost a woman hundreds of dollars just to care for herself. The term period poverty has been used to describe these ridiculous upcharges on feminine hygiene products. Some people have even gone as far as to say that this tax is sexist, claiming that this is an economic prejudice against women. When we raise the prices of these essential products, it makes them less accessible to everyone.
Not having access to these products makes it difficult for all women around the world.
As recently as May 2025, the state of Alabama passed HB 152. This puts a temporary ban on sales and allows for tax exemption on purchases of menstrual hygiene products. This ban allows more women to get access to free or reduced-cost products as they need. It began on September 1, 2025 and will not end until August 31, 2028. Bans like these help us get closer to the end goal of removing the period tax completely.
We should make bans like this for all states, and they should be in effect now and not have an end date.
Sources:
Alliance for Period Supplies. (2026, February 26). Tampon tax – Alliance for period supplies. Alliance for Period Supplies – It’s That Time. *. https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/tampon-tax/
Calderón-Villarreal, A. (2023). Taxing women’s bodies: the state of menstrual product taxes in the Americas. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 29, 100637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2023.100637