5 Things Women Pay More For Than Men
Do you love shopping so much that you rack up bills faster than you can blink your eyes? To be frank, shopping is fun but watching our bank balances deplete isn't quite enjoyable in comparison. The amount that consumers fork out while out shopping differs, and as absurd as it sounds, it depends on whether you're a man or a woman.
According to a price comparison study by New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, women pay thousands of dollars more for the same goods as men. The study looked at 800 products from more than 90 brands, with clear male and female versions, sold at brick-and-mortar retailers and online.
Anyhow, in 30 out of 35 categories, products for women were priced higher than those for men. Women's product cost more 42% of the time, more than twice as often as when men's products cost more than women's.
A study in California found that women paid an annual "gender tax" of $1,351 per year to purchase the same goods and services as men. Based on the results of the study, California proceeded to be the first state to ban gender-based pricing with the Gender Tax Repeal Act of 1996.
Manufacturers say marketing aimed at women costs more than marketing for men, although materials, ingredients and textiles in the products analyzed by the DCA are largely identical.
Manufacturers are not the only ones to blame: government tariffs contribute to the gender price gap. A study in 2010 by trade lawyer Michael Cone found that tariffs on imported goods nearly always favor men's products over women's. Men's sneakers, for example, were taxed at 8.5%, while women's were taxed at 10%.
Here, we list down the 5 categories of goods that women pay more for compared to men.
1. Personal Care Products
The DCA study found that personal care products for women cost an average of 13% more for women than for men. The largest price difference was for hair care products shampoo and conditioner cost 48% more for women than men.
A study by Buzzfeed in April 2015 found that women's deodorant cost $4.69 compared to $2.99 for men's. A bottle of women's shaving cream cost $2.99 compared to $2.49 for men's. Face lotion for women cost more than double than that for men, standing at a figure of $15 compared to $6.99.
2. Clothes
Buzzfeed's 2015 Target study found that standard white t-shirts marketed toward women cost more than twice as much as men's t-shirts, $9.00 compared to $4.00. And that's even when men's t-shirts use up more fabric.
A pair of women's jeans averaged $27.99 compared to $24.99 for men's jeans. Only underwear was more expensive for men than women, according to the DCA study.
3. Toys and Accessories
Toys and accessories for girls cost an average of 7% more than the same products for boys. General toys cost 11% more for girls than boys. The biggest price difference was for helmets and safety pads, which cost 13% more for girls than boys.
4. Kids' Clothes
Girls' shirts cost 13% more than do boys' clothes like onesies, shirts and shoes were priced 5% more for girls than for boys. Only boys' underwear and toddler shoes cost more than girls' versions, averaging at 3% more.
5. Senior/Home Health Care Products
Women's home health care products cost 8% more than men's. The biggest price difference was for braces and support products. Back support products cost women 15% more than the same products for men. The only category that was more expensive for men were digestive health products, which cost 5% more on average.
Article Source: https://get.com/blog/5-things-women-pay-more-men/
Image Source: https://get.com/media/uploads/shutterstock_101952889%20copy-2359403484.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Rack up (idiom) ~ to accumulate something to collect or acquire something
2. Deplete (v.) ~ diminish in number or quantity
3. Fork out (idiom) ~ to give out something to someone
4. Absurd (adj.) ~ (of an idea or suggestion) wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Are products for women also more expensive in Korea than those for men?
2. According to the article, what are the main reasons why products for women are usually more expensive?
3. What is your thought on “gender tax”?
