It’s Time to Pass By the Pink Tax

Have you ever been on your period and thought about what a luxury it is to have it? No? Me neither. So why is it that the products used to help us get through the monthly not-so-luxurious week are considered “luxury products”? It also goes far beyond just period products- body wash, razors, clothing. All these things “made for women” have jacked up prices compared to men’s items when in reality why do they even have to be labelled as such? The pink packaging really makes that much of a difference? According to Listen Money Matters, the Pink Tax is “the extra amount of money women pay for specific products or services. Sometimes you’ll see or hear it referred to as price discrimination or gender-pricing”

Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nevada and, most recently, Ohio have nixed the 6.85% sales tax on period products so far. What does it look like in states where this tax still remains though?

NYC Consumer Affairs put together a report on the cost of being a female consumer. This chart above shows how often women pay more, the same, and less than men with 42% of the time paying more than men would on products. This includes girls’ toys, clothing, personal care, hygiene, etc. When you also take in consideration the wage and opportunity gaps when it comes to women in the workplace, they are already at a disadvantage so why are they paying more when it comes to items “catered to their gender”.

States that have eliminated the pink tax already give me hope for the rest of America to follow in its footsteps or simply for federal legislation to come into play. It is simply ridiculous that this tax is even a thing when those who menstruate cannot help this natural part of life and Viagra (which is definitely not a necessity) do not have a jacked up tax. “Socialist feminists” have been fighting for a long time to get this nonsense to end and it is time to move on from this outdated and inexplicable policy that harms many women’s access to affordable products that are necessary for their monthly needs. Period.

Graphic and Article Links: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/partners/Study-of-Gender-Pricing-in-NYC.pdf

The Pink Tax: What’s the Cost of Being a Female Consumer in 2020?

‘Pink’ taxes burden women on tight budgets