What is the Pink Tax?
The term “pink tax” is used to describe the age-old issue of how, on average, women pay about 7% more for everyday products and services than men. The name comes from the fact that women’s products are commonly packaged with the color pink. Things like scent, color, and even brand names are targeted towards women and priced differently, mostly priced higher, than products targeted towards men. In other words, women are being charged more money for the same things that are being bought by men, just because we are women.
The NY Department of Consumer Affairs presents unsettling facts to show evidence for the pink tax in our economy. The price of women’s products in almost every category differ in comparison to the men’s version. According to the DCA, on average, women’s clothing and healthcare products are priced 8% higher than men’s, personal care products are priced 13% higher than men’s, and toys and accessories are priced 7% higher than men’s. These are just a few examples. Women’s products have proven to be more expensive in 30 out of 35 product categories tested by the DCA. From birth to old age, this pink tax is estimated to cost women about $1,351 each year. I don’t know about you, but I did not sign up for that coming out of the womb.
The pink tax is another form of gender discrimination. Items targeted towards girls and women are being sold for higher prices than boys and mens products, and we need to know why.
Here are a few examples of items being sold in the market for women:
Hmm, that looks like some expensive pink paint.
It appears that men are getting more for less money (3 in 1 care, as opposed to 2 in 1 care).
Same products, different colors, different prices.