The Pink Tax

By Katelyn

If you identify as a female or have a vagina, congrats! - you pay twice as much for almost everything as men do for the identical product. If you purchase feminine hygiene products, women’s clothing, women’s razors, women’s body wash, etc, you’re paying the pink tax! The pink tax is a name given for the extra amount that women are subject to paying for specific products or services. So no, it is not an actual tax per say, but it is an extra amount of money we have to pay. We pay thousands of dollars more every year than men just for our lack of a schlong.

Let’s take a trip through Target. We’ll go to the personal care aisle first to shop for razors. Since I am a woman, naturally, I’ll go for the women’s razor, which is $6.49. When reaching for it, I see the men’s razor. Alas! It’s $4.99! Well, the women’s razor should be more suited for my body, so my wallet will have to suffer just a tiny bit. Next, we’ll buy some laxatives. We have two options: the women’s laxatives, and the men’s laxatives; same exact formula and amount, they just slapped a different color on it. The women’s laxatives are $12.30 and - you guessed it - the men’s laxatives are HALF the cost: $5.49.

How about we take a look at some other random products, just for fun?

• Knee brace: women’s is $16.99, men’s is $12.99

• Helmet: pink (primarily known for girls) is $25.49, blue is $20.49

• Anti-aging cream: women’s is $21.99, men’s is $14.49

• Deodorant: women’s is $9.98, men’s is $8.33

Yes, these are actual prices that I pulled from Target’s website, and it doesn’t stop with personal care products. It might not seem like too big of a deal, right? But by the time a woman turns 30, she’ll have spent over $40,000 more. Women only get paid about 80% of men’s salaries, yet we pay more for everything. That, however, is an entirely different discussion. Undeniably, the entire issue makes no sense.

Cisgender women go through periods, menopause, and sometimes childbirth; All/most women put up with sexual harassment, societal pressure to put extra work into our appearance like wearing makeup or shaving our legs, fear of walking alone; I could go on forever. We have to waste an extensive amount of money on things we can’t help needing like tampons and pads. Then, here comes the pink tax to join the list of things society has decided to do to belittle women.

Don’t get discouraged if you’re a woman, though! We have put up with the misogynistic ideals of the patriarchy for centuries. We have been strong enough to turn the other cheek for centuries. We will continue to fight for equality to reverse the idolization of males that society has clung to for centuries. It is the year 2020, and it’s crucial that we continue to demand equality: equal pay, equal rights, and equal respect.