Growing up for anyone is a confusing and strange time for both genders.  Puberty is a difficult time for anyone, your body changes, your voice changes, and all around you change.  Every child is told this and accepts this but no one could prepare girls for the additional change. The change to their wallets.  

The “Pink tax” has long been fought over and pushed to change especially in recent years.  In August of 2012 Ellen Degeneres brought this to light in one of her well known, very talked about episodes. “Bic for her” had just been released, and was said to fit a woman’s hand and now comes in new colors, pink and purple. Ellen showed, in an almost comedic way, one of the many of the problems not talked about when it comes to the extras woman are almost forced to pay for.

All consumers tend to buy what is marketed toward them even if it is exactly the same as something else. Marketing things toward woman is going to create a bias that if a woman doesn’t buy this product, but rather a “mens” product, it’s almost embarrassing, even if the 2 things are in essence the same thing.

This is when we really see what the “Pink Tax” is.  That women pay more just because the product is marketed in a more “feminine” way, whether pink, purple, or covered in flowers. Prices are marked up simply because at this point women are so used to the cost they don’t notice the men’s similar counterpart is much cheaper. The “Pink Tax” is more of a catchy slogan and propaganda phrase used to describe a problem that seems so childlike. This phrase is a way to take back a women’s power over herself and over her wallet.

So What are People saying?

As women are being introduced to this debate companies are starting to take notice and are beginning to take action, mostly due to public outcry. Boots, an chemist chain in the United Kingdom, is one of the first to lower some of the prices of products to decrease the price gap. The company was praised and received very positive remarks from customers happy about this change. Boots didn’t however lower all female branded products.  They simply lowered a few prices to avoid controversy. Although a step in the right direction the problem is still present in the store.  Enough small victories will lead to big ones, but this small progress isn’t enough.

Times did its own investigation and came to the conclusion that woman pay 37% more on average for anything from clothes to soap to pens. Even children toys aimed at little girls are upped in price.  The New York Department of Consumer Affairs did their own investigation and their findings coming in at only 7%. Although 30% different, their findings concluded that women still pay more for products than men do.   This number came as a shock to many people,  including men. Many people are already aware of the gender pay gap where women make less than men, almost 20 cents less to the dollar, but are unaware that women pay more for products.  Women make less than men and pay more, this is a surprising realization. These facts coming into the public eye has started to cause people to start petitions, some getting more than 43,000 signatures, calling for action.

Another point brought up and is becoming a more widely accepted idea is that just being a woman costs more.  Woman have to buy things that a man never would, things like pads, tampons, and other menstrual items. These items are taxed and cost women thousands of dollars over their lives.  Christopher Cotropia explains that “taxing menstrual hygiene products… is unfair and inequitable because they are necessities [for women] in today’s society.” Woman need these products and are forced to pay more to receive them.

With the reality that women pay more for products just because they are women, how much more are they expected to pay for.  The “Pink Tax” includes the luxury tax that is placed on these hygiene products.

What’s The Other Sides View?

Tom Worstall makes the point that the pink tax is more about women’s preference rather than the actual difference in pricing.  Stating that women, more than men, tend to buy name brand products over store brand products. He even fights against the New York Times in their investigative study saying that they simply got it all wrong.  

“Even product” is brought into question, saying what even is an “even product”? Men’s and women’s products have differences that cause them to not be the exact same as others seem to always point out.  Thus causing a difference in price. Worstall explains that the prices are simply different because the product is different.  Saying that women are almost held to a higher standard and because of this their products are made to be better to keep women at these standards.  Being a female it is very important to keep up appearances and looks, because “in American society, it is critical that men and women do their gender appropriately”. Because women are held to this standard their products cost more and women are more willing to buy name brand to keep up this image. In a way women pay more because they buy more of what they “think” they need, rather than what they actually need.

“Pink Tax” is it here to stay?

The “Pink Tax” has been around since the beginning of consumer based products were invented. And with new social moments bring this concept to life the movement to change these ideals is coming at a racing speed. The “Pink Tax” is clearly on the way out due to the new ideals arising in the worlds cultures.

Atkin, Erica Nicole, “Historical Influences on Modern America and the Pink Tax” (2018). Senior Honors Theses. 221.
https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/honors/221

“Bic Pens for Women – Ellen.” Critical Media Project, USC Annenburg, 22 Aug. 2017, criticalmediaproject.org/bic-pens-for-women-ellen/.

Cotropia, Christopher, and Kyle Rozema. “Who Benefits from Repealing Tampon Taxes? Empirical Evidence from New Jersey.” Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 14 Aug. 2018, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jels.12188.

Menin, Julie. “From Cradle to Cane: The C St of Being a Female C Nsumer A Study of Gender Pricing in New York City.” NYC Consumer Affairs , Dec. 2015, www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/partners/Study-of-Gender-Pricing-in-NYC.pdf.

Worstall, Tim. “The Pink Tax Is Nothing To Do With Public Policy, Women Can Solve It For Themselves.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 Nov. 2014, http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/11/13/the-pink-tax-is-nothing-to-do-with-public-policy-women-can-solve-it-for-themselves/#1738a89b817c.