As a woman, I find it deeply unfair that we are often charged more for the same or similar products as men. This phenomenon, known as the pink tax, is not only unfair but also discriminatory. It's time to put an end to this unfair pricing. 

The pink tax refers to the higher prices women pay for certain goods and services compared to men. An example of this price discrimination is Bic pens that are marketed “for her” that are pink cost twice as much as regular gender-neutral Bic pens. it makes no sense that these products are priced so differently. This happens all the time with all sorts of products.

This price discrepancy adds up over time, leading women to pay thousands more throughout their lifetime just because they are female. In fact, one study showed that on average, an American woman will have to spend an extra $1300 dollars than a man in a year for identical or interchangeable products. (Abdou, p.33). This includes everything from personal care items like razors and shampoo to clothing and even toys. It's a clear case of gender-based price discrimination that affects all women but hits low-income women especially hard.

On top of this gender-based price discrimination, women are still consistently being paid less than men are for the same job. This makes these taxes even worse because women are starting out with less money than men have already. My source tells me, “Piketty, Saez and Zucman (2016), three famous economists, found that women do not get paid 80% of a man’s salary, but much less at 57%. This new research takes into consideration things that other researchers in the past failed to consider like income tax. The addition of income tax makes the research much more accurate.” (Abdou, p. 38). 

The tax on feminine hygiene products is especially difficult. Feminine hygiene products are not a want, they are a need. These are necessities for women. The prices on these items are high enough already, they do not need to add all of these extra taxes. Low-income women are especially affected by these taxes. Some women are forced to choose between necessities every day. They are forced to choose between things like hygiene and food and clean clothes on their backs. According to my sources, “Numerous nations have previously done away with their taxes on feminine hygiene products, such as Kenya, Australia, and India. Except in a few US states, there aren't many official regulations or rules pertaining to the pink tax.” (Barari, p. 3350). Clearly, these taxes are an issue if some nations are getting rid of the taxes.

There is no reason for these price differences to exist when the product is identical besides who it is marketed to. If the only difference in a product is that one is pink and one is blue, or one says “hers” and one says “his”, they should cost the same. Yet, so many times, they are priced differently. That does not make sense and it is not right.

There have already been social movements regarding the pink tax and how women’s products are priced differently than identical ones that are marketed towards men. This shows us that we can make change if we try. It is possible. I hope to raise awareness for this. I have been seeing stuff about it online, so hopefully it is becoming more prevalent in today’s society. Everybody deserves equality.

We call on lawmakers and businesses alike to take action against this unfair practice. We demand transparency in pricing policies and urge companies not just to re-evaluate their pricing strategies but also commit publicly against gender-based price discrimination.

It's time we stand together against the pink tax! Change is possible. Please sign this petition if you believe in equal pricing for equal products regardless of gender.

  Bibliography

Abdou, D. S. (2019). Gender-based price discrimination: The cost of being a woman. Proceedings of Business and Economic Studies, 2(5).

Barari, N., Makhija, R., Das, J. P., Sharma, M., & Sivasanker, A. A. PINK TAX:-A PRICE DISCRIMINATION WITH UNFORTUNATE FEMALES.

Berliner, M. R. (2020). Tackling the Pink Tax: A Call to Congress to End Gender-Based Price Discrimination. Women's Rts. L. Rep., 42, 67.