It’s easy to exist in our own microcosm without realizing inherent advantages or disadvantages that come with our consumer preferences. Last year while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Planet Money, I first learned about the Pink Tax, a gender price differential in many consumer goods (i.e. paying more for female versions of products).
As with many social injustices, it was frustrating but seemed like a broader systemic problem (i.e. what can we do about it, aside from buying gender neutral products and supporting legislation if it comes to Utah?), then we realized as business owners we actually CAN do something, we can give you a Pink Tax Break. While we believe all 3 of our Bath Stones look good in bathrooms regardless of gender associations, why not offer an extra discount on pink since this variation is usually marked up in other consumer goods categories?
If you’re ready to skip ahead to purchasing, you can shop our Himalayan Pink Bath Stone now. If you’re a fellow socially conscious consumer who’s interested in learning more about the impacts of the Pink Tax, read on.
Research across consumer goods categories shows women pay more than men for the same products 42% of the time*. In 2018 New York City produced a report on gender-based price discrimination and found that women pay as much as 13% more in some product categories.*
The Pink Tax results in the average woman being charged an extra $1,350 per year*, which adds up over a lifetime! As with many taxation dilemmas, the Pink Tax and it’s sister The Tampon Tax, disproportionately affects lower income demographics who are more frequently purchasing these products in smaller quantities, making the price per item higher (unlike Costco’s bulk discounts).
The best thing female consumers can do now is to be aware of the price discrepancy and when applicable, purchase the lower priced male alternative (not the best compromise in our opinion). By continuing to spread the word and being vocal on social media, consumers can put pressure on bigger brands to adopt more equal pricing. Hopefully with greater awareness and potential future legislation women won’t have to be ‘hyper-aware’ consumers and can shop without sneaky taxes.
If you want to use your Pink Tax Break you can shop our Himalayan Pink Bath Stone now.
Images from Huffpost, sources for statistics below:https://money.cnn.com/2016/03/07/pf/pink-tax/index.html
https://www.listenmoneymatters.com/the-pink-tax/
https://axthepinktax.com/?mkwid=sPLWe72LW&pcrid=335958427679&pkw=pink%20tax&pmt=e&pdv=c#intro
https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/11/13/667539767/the-problem-with-the-pink-tax
http://pink.tax/pink-tax-facts/all-star-pink-tax-resources
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pink-tax-examples_l_5d24da77e4b0583e482850f0?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9heHRoZXBpbmt0YXguY29tLz9ta3dpZD1zUExXZTcyTFcmcGNyaWQ9MzM1OTU4NDI3Njc5JnBrdz1waW5rJTIwdGF4JnBtdD1lJnBkdj1j&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFJNDNRpIlUe7FlaZSm8hmi1QIFZmeX26Yi9YGs2jueXnBJ-lLGUbM4cKKiZ-WZby1hMU7mEybyOYKazrY8OWUg0_7usZpjUgqoK8cCStaOlIydy0WL9vhyBi1bArgZtotpUjjqQ0r0mIoiXFZyR3yU95qZGv2d8mHi3mJTH31Oh