The pricing of female products

With March being Women’s History Month, the question of why women’s products are more expensive has been brought up. Razors, deodorant, clothing, you name it – they are all more expensive than they are for their male equivalents. This concept is called the pink tax, which is a term coined for when products that exist for both men and women are more expensive for women. 

Here of some examples: 

Pink earplugs marketed as women’s earplugs are priced at 5.49 compared to regular ones priced at 4.19.  

Men’s hotel person care kit is priced at $7.59; meanwhile, the one for women is $9.99 even though they have the same products. 

Then there’s a huge debate about deodorant. What special ingredients does female deodorant contain that makes it more expensive than men’s deodorant?  The answer as you might have guessed: nothing. The only thing that makes them different is men’s deodorant has more odor protection. So, wouldn’t you think that should make men’s deodorant more expensive? Well, that is not the case.  

Deodorant found at Target charges women almost $7 compared to the men’s that is the same brand that is priced at almost $5. However, it should be acknowledged that there are now a lot of unisex brands available. In Canada in 2021 it was reported that men paid $8.41 while women paid $8.83. Now that might not seem like a lot; however, women are reported to spend $1300 extra per year because of pink tax. 

Isn’t it funny that women earn less than men but still have to pay more for equivalent products? It’s reported that in 2022 women still earn 82 percent of what men are earning.  Shouldn’t women be paid more at that point?  

New York and California are still currently the only two states to have actually made pink tax illegal. How shocking is it that 48 of the states still are allowed to charge more for women’s marketed products that will ultimately be higher than the men’s? 

This just goes back to the core issue of gender discrimination we see everywhere in the world with jobs, education, and relationships. In the constantly changing world, gender equality still seems to be an issue even stemming from a three-pack of disposable razors.  

“It’s extremely unfair because why should women’s products be more expensive because it’s basically the same stuff it’s just styled more towards women, and they believe it should cost more. Men run industries and they like to take advantage of women who are purchasing their products,” says Jackson Killough. 

 It’s reported that woman spend between $200-$300 on feminine products a year. Adding that up, that’s thousands of dollars because women typically have their periods for 40-50 years of their lives. I mean, I don’t know about anyone else, but thinking about that, the money could be put towards a vacation, your kids’ college, or home renovations.  

Zoe Kirejczyk says, “It’s obviously unfair. The number of products like pads and tampons are things we need. They’re basic necessities; the prices are so jacked up for no reason.” She continues to say, “it’s kind of sick when you think about it because they’re literally profiting off of something that we have to have. If we don’t have those things, we can’t properly function in society without being judged. Having those prices so high isn’t right.”