The patriarchy is a terrifying place to live, especially for women. Women have to deal with catcalling, objectification, sexual harassment and abuse. Being fired for pregnancy or passed over for a job or promotion simply because they are women is not uncommon and their right to bodily autonomy is being inhumanely put up for debate. These are just a few issues women face on a daily basis. However, one obstacle women face that many do not know about is called the pink tax.
The pink tax is a gender-based price discrimination. This discrepancy can be found in anything marketed towards a specific gender but is more commonly found in personal care products. It can be evaluated based on a common marketing strategy: “In order to sell products to women make the product smaller and pink,” or “shrink it and pink it.”
This is a problem that plagues women worldwide. Women’s deodorant, coming in a 2.6-ounce bottle, costs $5.99 at Target. Men’s deodorant that costs the same amount is .4-ounces larger. Razors marketed towards women, typically smaller, can be up to $3 more expensive than men’s razors.
For women attending college these discrepancies have an even more drastic impact on their lives. With student debt piled on top of all the other expenses associated with being on your own for the first time, paying more for day-to-day necessities unnecessarily can cause more stress than a typical college experience.
Senator Jackie Speier sought to end the pink tax once and for all by introducing the Pink Tax Repeal Act in 2016 after she successfully passed the Repeal the Gender Tax Act in 1996 as a member of the California State Legislature. After failing in 2016, Senator Speier has reintroduced the Pink Tax Repeal Act and hopes it will finally pass and end gender-based discrimination in purchased goods.
There are a number of people, typically male politicians, who say the pink tax is not a major issue claiming it can be resolved by simply walking to the men’s aisle and purchasing your products there. Women should not have to avoid the women’s hygiene section in order to save money. It is immoral and misogynistic for companies to expect women to pay even a cent more for a product purely because it’s marketed towards women.
Unfortunately, male political representatives will not fix this issue in all likelihood. This issue can be fixed by electing women and supporting legislation that protects and supports marginalized communities, issues like the pink tax will have a better chance of being resolved. This midterm election was a good start. With 147 women having been elected to Congress, legislation that has the potential to make real change has a chance of passing and becoming law.
The best way to move forward? Smash the patriarchy.
This may seem daunting and, in truth, to tackle the entirety of the patriarchy is a behemoth task. This is why breaking up the path to dismantling the patriarchy into a series of steps can make the journey that much easier. Rather than focusing on the marathon, focus on the individual miles.
To start, supporting the revised Pink Tax Repeal Act can ease the financial burden of being a woman. Make sure to voice your support and ensure your representatives know that their constituents want the pink tax eliminated. The second step is to elect more women. This then leads to another step, which leads to another.
This process is easier said than done, but progress can only be made if people put in the effort.
Mackenzie Davidson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @mackenzie_films