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You've Been Paying the Pink Tax. It's Now Time to Fight It!

Have you been paying the “Pink Tax”?  

Chances are, if you’re a woman, you’ve been paying it for decades. If you're a man, you've also probably paid it when you purchased something for your mother, daughter, or female friend.

In 1995 the government of the state of California conducted a study showing that women in that state spent an average of $1351 in extra gender-based costs and fees each year for goods and services marketed specifically to them as females.  This phenomenon, which has been observed in states across the nation and several countries across the globe, has come to be known as the "Pink Tax".

Not convinced? In 2010, Consumer Reports found that various products directed at women - through name, description, or packaging - cost up to 50 percent more than similar, sometimes nearly identical, products for men.

Most recently, in 2015 a study conducted by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs looked into how retail goods are priced across the New York metropolitan area and found that 42% of the time goods marketed to women cost more than similar men's versions.  The study, entitled "From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer" found that retail goods marketed specifically to females of any age cost on average 7% more than similar versions for males, even if the product is virtually identical to a cheaper item sold in the men’s or boys' aisle.  

Some examples of Pink Tax items include toiletries (razors, shaving cream, shampoo, soaps, lotions), apparel (shirts and jeans), services (dry cleaning, hair cuts, car repairs), toys (scooters, helmets, dolls, video games) - the list goes on and on.

Currently in the United States, some states and municipalities have passed laws against gender-based pricing in services (but not retail goods).  These jurisdictions include California, New York City, and Florida's  Miami-Dade county.  There are no federal laws banning gender discrimination in the pricing of goods or services sold by private companies.

The goal of this website is to raise awareness in order to help eliminate the Pink Tax at every level - locally, state-wide, nationally, and globally.  

You can help by raising awareness, uploading Pink Tax incidents you see on the website's Chat & Share link (coming soon!), shopping in the men's aisle, and letting companies and your locally and nationally elected officials know that the Pink Tax must end!