The pink tax refers to the tendency for products marketed specifically toward women to be more expensive than those marketed toward men.  This is directly affecting women all around the globe as a form of gender-price discrimination. 

The Pink tax is just one way women are treated unequally around the world, including in Massachusetts, yet so little of it is talked about. In an effort to correct this, we created a survey just to gather data on any and all experience with The Pink Tax. With 45+ participants, we have gathered concrete evidence of The Pink Tax in use. We have gathered that, of the anonymous responses, 86.7% of them found they pay more for products specifically advertised to women, yet only 55.6% were familiar with The Pink Tax. 

When participants in the survey were asked how inclusive Attleboro/MA stores are for hygiene/menstruation products, 88.9% chose “Somewhat” and 8.9% chose “Not at all.” To further support the data we have found, An incredible 53.3% of our respondents have chosen to buy “Men’s” products because they are cheaper than products advertised to women. From a variety of stores listed, 37.8% of participants shopped at CVS.

This is evidence, simply conducted by 3 concerned 8th grade students, that the pink tax is in effect everywhere, even in our city. Women, or even anyone shopping for menstrual products, razors, or even hair brushes are affected from this. A study from the California Senate Committee on Judiciary and Senate Select for Women, Work & Families revealed that, on average, women pay approximately $2,381 more than men do for the same goods and services per year. This can add up to approximately $188,000 in pink tax over an average woman’s lifetime.  This increase in spending can send an entire family into poverty just for buying basic necessities. Women pay 13% more for personal care products, 8% more for adult clothing, 7% more for toys and accessories, and 4% more for children's clothing. While those percentages may seem small, it does indeed add up over time. 

If these statistics do not change, Families and Women all around the world will continue to spend more and more money just for their needs. Women’s salaries are already less than Men’s, so this is now posing a big issue. The Pink Tax is a way for inequality to thrive, yet is not talked about nearly enough. We want to try to make the lives of women around the world easier, and advocate for those who can’t themselves. Abolishing The Pink Tax in Massachusetts is a way to take a hit at gender inequality, and if it were to be abolished, women and even children not only just in our state, but around the world would feel inspired to work for the same thing.

So, in order to better Massachusetts and the lives of women and children around the world, we ask you to please sign this petition. The creators of not only this petition, but the survey as well are simply a couple of concerned students wanting to make a change in our state and world. We believe that everyone, women included, do not deserve to be taxed, paid, or treated differently just because of their gender. We are all human, cohabiting and living on this planet together. So please, if you found any part of this petition interesting or want to make a change, sign this petition and share it to whoever you can. Thank you. 

Emma Little, Tessa Peterson, and Caden Vose.