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The Pink Tax

The Price You Pay for Being a Woman

By alliePublished 5 years ago 2 min read
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The Exact Same Product... at a Higher Price

Something you may have not noticed before is how products targeted for women cost way more than those targeted for men. This is the result of the pink tax, a "gender-based price discrimination" that affects, of course, women.

Go to the nearest store and pick up a pack of razors for men and a pack of razors for women. They have the same number of blades, you get the same amount of razors, they do the exact same thing. One is pink, one is blue. Why is it that the pink ones cost more? This is because women's products cost more 42 percent of the time, while the same products are made for men and sold at a much lower price.

Take the whole "Bic for Her" situation as an example. Bic released pens specifically targeted for women, which, of course, cost way more than your regular pen (which does the exact same thing). Heck, some of these pens don't even have pink ink. They have regular blue or black ink, but they're pink on the outside and specifically made for Her, so they cost more.

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This horrendous situation applies to deodorants, soaps, face creams... you name it. It was even found that painkillers, which contained the exact same ingredients in the exact same amounts as those targeted for men, were being sold at a higher price simply because they were "meant to relieve menstrual cramps." Next time you have a headache, take one of those "cramp reliever" pills. It will work wonders, because it is a pain killer, plain and simple.

Clothing stores also contribute to this situation. Take a plain white t-shirt from the women's section and one from the men's section. You guessed it, the one made for women will cost more. Ever wondered why women's jeans have such small pockets? Because they want us to buy purses and luxurious bags to carry everything that we can't put in our minuscule pockets. It also costs more to import clothes and shoes made for women, which is one of the reasons why retailers sell women's products at a much higher price.

Toys are also involved: pink toys made for girls usually cost more than blue ones made for boys. Helmets, scooters, and bicycles are great for comparison, as you can take a specific design that only varies in color, and the one with "feminine" colors such as pink, purple, and light blue and green will cost more. Add some hearts and flowers and pay a few extra bucks. Don't worry, dinosaurs and lightning don't come with an additional cost.

And this not only applies to products, but to services, too. Women are often charged more for services such as dry cleaning, vehicle repairs, and more.

So join the movement and try to avoid the pink tax as much as you can. You can do this by buying "Men's" razors, deodorants, medicines, personal hygiene products, etc. Simply compare the product to your usual feminine version—check for ingredients and quantities, and if they end up being the same, buy the blue one.

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allie

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