Pink Tax Around The World: Clear Up Your Thoughts!

So, what is a real pink tax definition? If you’ve never heard of the pink tax, give it a read. That’s why I wrote this guide – to educate you about the pink tax.

Here’s everything you need to know about the pink tax, why it matters, and what to do. It’s a pretty interesting read!

Starting from when I was young, my grandmother would tell me. “In life, you will have to pay more for things because they don’t come in your perfect shade.” She’d say it every time we went shopping together, and she had a more challenging time pushing me around in my baby buggy.

Indeed, this may seem innocuous enough to me.

However, she meant that women have to face punishment in society today. Why? Because they are women!

My grandmother is no longer with us. Her idea is still with me and on my mind.

I did not know about the pink tax or never came across the pink tax definition, but with the passage of time, everything became clear.

Talking about today, YES – I have no such questions of ‘is the pink tax real’ because it exists in our society. I have no pink tax myth...

The unfair concept of women charged more for products, services, or even their salaries is what we call “the pink tax.” It’s gender pricing. However, this second term is controversial. It infers that women are getting what they pay for (think about things like insurance premiums).

The ambiguity behind these terms brings up an interesting point: what is the pink tax? how do we define the pink tax? how can we prove is the pink tax real?

So, let’s find out…

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Pink Tax Definition: What is the Pink Tax?

Wondering, what is the pink tax? The pink tax definition is simple to understand.

The term “pink tax” refers to the extra money women have to pay for gender-specific products.

Let’s find out more shades within this pink tax definition.

When a product is pink, women have to buy it even if they don’t necessarily identify as women. Also, even they have no intention of using the product in question.

Pink Tax Examples and Pink Tax Statistics

For instance, if you have had to argue with someone who says that men face the same issues women do. I suggest you show them a study that found women pay $1,351.05 more for car insurance throughout their lifetime. Let them know that feminine hygiene products cost an average of $14.99 per year. On the other hand, men only have to spend about $2.10 on razors each month. What’s worst, women probably spent more than $7 in total on toiletries the previous day – this is one of the many pink tax examples.

So, if the opposite gender ever stops you and asks, ‘is the pink tax real?’Be calm, clear out the pink tax definition and show these pink tax statistics. Let them know that the pink tax exists and it is abuse against women that we need to stop together.

Why Pink Tax? Are Women Less Capable Than Men When It Comes To Handling Money?

Now let’s look at some examples outside of consumer goods and services. Those that bring up some interesting questions about society today.

One study examined how people act on financial decisions under stress and found participants to take risks if their gender matched the stereotype of their assigned financial risk task.

As one of the many pink tax examples, women had to take risks in the stock market version of the test.

Even academia seems to have problems with gender pricing – pink tax!

The average STEM professor makes about $12,000 less per year for each full-time female professor under their tenure within their department. This is resulting in an overall yearly salary gap of close to $15,000 between male and female professors.

So now we know some pink tax examples and how gender pricing takes place throughout the world. Let’s revisit my grandmother’s advice about having to pay more because society wants women to be different from men somehow magically.

Believe it or not – this is precisely what happens with women’s products.

Among other many pink tax examples, buying men’s deodorant costs around $4.50 for 3 ounces at Walmart. However, buying Dove Deodorant for Women will cost nearly twice the price of about $5.97 for a 2-ounce container.

What Is Gender Pricing?

So this brings us back to the question: just what is gender pricing?

Gender pricing focuses explicitly on the idea that certain products or services marketed to one gender over the other. It is thus creating a higher price point for only that gender.

Gender pricing examples include paying US$20 for a pair of running shoes targeted to women compared to US$10 for the same model targeting men. Also, that is adding a surcharge of 35% on top of haircuts given to women and 15% on those given to men. And charging young single women more than twice as much as single men for health insurance.

What about gender mark-ups in pink tax?

This term gets into the idea of products being advertised with different costs for each gender but doesn’t focus on the specific problem of women’s products being more expensive than men’s.

Finally, there is the concept of “the pink tax”: how much women are paying out-of-pocket given their income level compared to men, given similar items.

Let’s Get More Into Depth – How Pink Tax Works?

The pink tax, a kind of gender-based price discrimination, is a kind of tax that about 49.55 percent of the world’s population has to pay. All WOMEN!

What is worst, most of these women have to pay the pink tax around the world without even realizing it.

According to these pink tax statistics, female consumers spend 12% more on hygiene and personal care goods than male consumers in the same market.

So, women have to spend 42 percent more than men to participate in society.

Consumer products marketed to women come in a “pink tax,” resulting in higher interest rates on women on home mortgages and automobile loans, among other things. They will not even contribute to her retirement fund with the amount of money they have to pay in damages.

Menstruation Is Subject To A Levy Known As The “Pink Tax.”

Additionally, in certain countries, women have to pay more cost for having their period.

To encourage consumers to purchase “luxury goods,” the government has imposed an additional sales tax on items. Tampons and pads, for example. This kind of charge is known as the “tampon tax.”

The menstrual cycle is a regular fact of life for many women. Every woman must deal with this fact every month.

One woman’s ability to become a mother is not a luxury subjected to further taxes!

Men’s hygiene and personal care products, on the other hand, fall into a different category. A tax exemption granted for the condom since it is not considered a luxury item and does not attract any additional fees or taxes.

In many states, sales tax is not collected on Viagra, despite being imposed on other items such as pads and tampons, among others. Some treatments, such as birth control pills, medicated condoms, and yeast infections, are exempt from the ban since they are recognized as medicines and hence fall under this category.

In any of the 195 recognized sovereign countries or governments worldwide, only five states do not levy a state sales tax on their residents. The states in concern include Montana, New Hampshire, Alaska, Delaware, and Oregon, to name just a few.

On the other hand, feminine hygiene products were explicitly excluded from state sales tax in nine states in 2017. Just a few of the states that are included in this conglomeration of countries are Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, to name a few.

Also, in most countries that apply an extra sales tax on feminine hygiene products, the unjust price generally ranges from 3.2 to 7.5 percent. In the United States, unfair pricing accounts for an average of 3.2 percent of total sales.

Women have to face this unjust gender pricing. This is because they constitute the vast majority of clients for hygiene products.

Recent research tells that women pay more costs for items regarded as vital by most female consumers. Despite these facts, the market has maintained its ability to prevent price differences from arising.

That is totally unfair!

What Actions Are Being (Should Be) Taken By The Federal Government And The States?

Not all 50 states are facing feminine hygiene products taxations. The government and authorities consider the products as necessities. It’s the same reason tampons, and pads are exempt from sales tax in some cities, including Austin.

However, some think women’s feminine hygiene products are luxury items, and having a high sales tax is not bad. No matter what, this is not fair and we need to fight against such unfairness.

Talk about Pennsylvania, in a near future, the country will perhaps pass legislation to eliminate the state’s sales tax on menstrual supplies. They believe that the items such as tampons and pads would now qualify under the same exemption for prescription drugs and eyeglasses.

Pennsylvania follows five other states: Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Texas who’ve passed similar laws this year alone.

The Retail Council of Texas opposes pink tax examples. They stand in against taxing these items because they are going to less affordable and accessible for women.

“Most people buy these products every month, and it would be very pricey to have to pay this additional tax,” said Tina Jackson, senior director of government relations at the Retail Council of Texas. “Taking advantage of our free-market economy is important to maintain affordability.”

This is something I would call a positive step. And, many other states should take a lesson and learn from Pennsylvania.

The important step is to build awareness about gender equity!

We have discriminatory policies holding women back in all aspects of life.

Numerous companies and non-profit organizations are taking and should take a stance against discriminatory pricing. They can make progress toward the prices associated with our gender superior quality items costs.

It is necessary to put out significant effort to achieve price equality for commodities costlier for women than for men, such as razors, deodorants, and tampons.

Most of us prefer high-end perfumes, floral-scented deodorants, and other personal care products. These items do not deserve a label of an unjust tax.

While there is no motivation for firms to cease creating products differently, they can contribute to preventing unnecessarily high sales taxes.

We need to work against the pink tax so that we can get rid of all pink tax examples. Being a woman is an honor, so there should be no unfairness on any basis.

Found this article informative and interesting? Share your opinions about the pink tax and engage. Also give a read to our other posts like Role Of Parents In A Child’s Education – Perfect Parenting, Best Influential Personalities to Follow in 2021-2022, and others.