Pink Tax Makes Women See Red

• Female toys and accessories cost 7 percent more
• Clothing designed for girls and women was 4 percent and 8 percent higher, respectively
• Personal-care products were 13 percent more expensive
• Home and health care products aimed at older women were priced 8 percent higher

This difference is also prevalent in the services industry, with women paying more for haircuts and dry cleaning. In some instances, the markup is between 20 and 40 percent. 

Despite price discrimination, Slap says that New York and California are the only two states with laws on the books to protect female consumers. Change on the federal level has been slow, too. “A bill to abolish or repeal the gender tax keeps dying in Congress,” says Slap, who introduced legislation in the Connecticut Senate this session to do away with gender-based pricing. It didn’t pass the House, but Slap plans to reintroduce it next year, with a focus on service providers, instead of manufacturers. “It’s more difficult to regulate the markup [of goods]. A better strategy next year is to start with haircuts and dry cleaners,” he says. ​

Health care is another category in which there’s a wide gap between what men and women pay, made worse in an inflationary environment. “Women live longer and require more care than men,” Arenas says. “Add to that they require mammograms, pap tests and more clinical services.” A Kaiser Family Foundation study from 2015 revealed that women between the ages of 55 and 64 spent $9,489 on health care; men spent $7,850.  

Arenas says women are more likely than men to blow off preventive services, which leads to more chronic conditions and more money spent on medical care. “It’s a big concern after the pandemic. Women delayed preventive services, and with inflation we may see another wave,” she says. 

What women can do 

The pink tax and inflation aren’t going away anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean women can’t fight back. After all, they are a powerful group of consumers whom marketers spend top dollar courting each year.  

To avoid the pink tax, female shoppers need to become more discerning. That means getting educated about pricing disparities and going out of their way to find the best product for the price, regardless of the packaging. It also means speaking up if they spot unfair pricing. Complaining on social media, as well as to consumer associations, local politicians and to the company, is a powerful way to express displeasure. “Individual consumption behavior can send a signal to manufacturers,” Arenas says.