Written by Ananiah Biju
INTRO:
Pink tax is the invisible tax placed on ‘feminine’ products. It describes the discrepancies in price that women and those who require such items are subjected to. This tax affects such a wide range of female-marketed commodities, including haircuts, clothes, shampoo, and even deodorants.
A MESSY HISTORY:
The pink tax first came into play in the United States, around the 1920s. Since then, it has made its way throughout the world and into almost every country. Not much has been done to eradicate this unjust tax system, and we need to demand change.
THE RESEARCH:
Research shows that women pay more for haircuts and are often pressured into paying more to clean and maintain their cars, due to misogynistic assumptions of their mechanical literacy. Recent studies have shown women's products are 7% more expensive compared to men's products. Furthermore, they added that women pay 13% more for personal care products, 8% more for clothing, and 8% more for health care-related products. These disparities end up charging women about $2,135 more on average, in a single year.
IT’S A MAN’S WORLD:
Additionally, the wage gap --something especially prevalent in political and STEM fields-- adds to the economic disadvantage that women are faced with all around the globe. It has been proven time and time again that a woman only makes about 80 cents for every dollar that a man does, despite them doing the same amount and type of work.
USE YOUR VOICE:
What we, as consumers, can do is to ensure that we actively search for and support brands that have a fair, unbiased pricing system. Raising awareness on this issue will get brands to realise that we are no longer willfully ignorant to this gender bias, and that women deserve better.
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