By: Penney Kome
Any woman in the workforce knows that maintaining a business-like appearance - haircuts and dressing for success - costs money. Perhaps not all women realize that not only do we usually earn less than men for the same or similar jobs, but goods and services designated specifically for women usually cost more than those that are gender neutral or designated for men.
The difference in prices is known as the commercial "gender tax". A quick trip to a central Calgary shopping mall provided a few examples. All prices are regular prices, even for items that were on sale at the time of the trip.
Which costs more to buy and to clean? |
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At the drugstore, in the deodorant aisle, Speedstick Tough costs $3.79 for 85 grams. Oddly enough, a little farther along the same shelf, unscented Lady Speedstick also costs $3.79, but for 65 grams or one-quarter less deodorant.
In the department store, the price of jeans depends on who's buying them. Men's Nevada jeans with a 32" waist are priced at $36; women's Nevada jeans, size 13-14, cost $50 to $55. An acrylic sweater with a yoke pattern costs $30 for a size six girl; a fully patterned acrylic sweater for a size 6 boy costs $25.
Ah, but the dry cleaner and the hair stylist are the classic cases of the gender tax, and worth more than one sample. Both mall dry cleaners charge less half as much ($1.39 and $1.76) to launder and press a man's shirt, as they charge to do the same for a woman's blouse ($5 and up). The difference? Some women's blouses are harder to press.
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Hairstylist's prices vary widely: one place charges $15 to wash and cut anybody. Another charges $19-29 for men, but $29-$45 for women. And at a third salon, a stylist whispers across the counter that the price list has been removed because the shop charges according to what services are done and which stylist does them. Are prices the same for women as for men? No, she answers evasively, "It wouldn't be fair to charge the same price for long hair as for short hair."
Women are charged more because our needs are perceived to be fussier and daintier than men's and also, frankly, because we're not as likely to complain. Protect yourself: shop around and compare prices. Buy unisex or buy used (especially children's clothes), when possible. When you find an anomalous price difference, complain.
In the US, charging different prices according to the customer's gender is flat out illegal. No matter. The custom continues anyway. Dry cleaners are aware they are on shaky ground. One cleaner said her shop charges $9 to clean a man's suit, and $9.50 for a woman's suit or dress. Then she added defensively, "But we don't discriminate." They're just following standard practice.
Penney Kome is an award-winning journalist and author based in Calgary.
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