(WXYZ) — Women are paying simply for shopping while female and it’s all because of the so-called pink tax. Though not literally a tax, it refers to the up-charge seen on products marketed to women.
The tampon tax was repealed earlier this year and some women, including lawmakers, say this should be the next chapter in the fight for gender equity.
In 2022, being “pretty in pink” means paying a premium.
Related: Find your elected officials here
“The ones for male products are less priced,” said shopper Lamese Saab.
Earlier this year, we introduced you to a gender-priced discrimination phenomenon - you may have never heard of before now.
“There is definitely a systematic pink tax women are paying,” said Aradna Krishna, University of Michigan School of Business.
The pink tax refers to the markup on goods marketed to women compared to substantially similar products - marketed to men.
A 2015 New York City study examined 800 male vs female products compared across 90 brands.
“Items all the way from children's clothing to senior health care,” said Krishna.
The findings?
Women’s products cost more than 42% most of the time. Women pay 7% more on female toys and accessories, 8% more on adult female clothing, and 13 % more on personal care products.
In my own research, I found a 50% markup on a female shaver that was identical to its male counterpart.
"I buy pretty much men's products when I can,” said Sabala Mandava, a Democrat living in Oakland County.
“I’m one of those people, if I need it, I go buy it, never stop to really look at it,” said Robin Barnes, a Republican living in Oakland County.
Could this inequity ever be reined in a politically divided world, I invited two metro Detroit women, one a Democratic, the other a Republican, to come watch my story.
I didn’t share beforehand that they both represent opposite political parties- curious to see how their reaction might differ.
WXYZ’s Ameera David asked, “What was going through your mind?”
“13% extra? That’s a little much, especially for young girls,” said Barnes.
“Where else can you discriminate against a whole gender,” asked Mandava. “They are exactly the same thing and why are we paying more for it?”
“Is this a topic you think maybe legislators could possibly find some common ground on?” asked David.
“Oh, for sure, we both had the exact same reaction to this and felt the same way and felt this has to change,” said Mandava.
Would Michigan lawmakers agree? I took the story to State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky on the left and State Senator Ruth Johnson on the right.
“Do you think this is a bipartisan issue?” asked David.
“I do see this as a bipartisan issue because every single Rep. Senator has people paying more for no good reason,” said State Representative Laurie Pohutsky.
“I think we need to talk about it, it is troubling,” said State Senator Ruth Johnson.
Johnson, in fact, buys men's products herself to compensate.
“Shavers are also quite a bit cheaper,” said Johnson.
So far two states- New York and California- have put pink tax bans in place, but no bill has yet to be introduced in Michigan- lawmakers noting the potential headwinds.
“Depending on the product, there are ways for manufacturers to justify this increased cost,” said Pohutsky.
“And that can be a significant evidentiary hurdle,” and Johnson.
They’ll be philosophical conversations: how much should government get involved?
But these Metro Detroit women say it’s worth the fight.
"This is for the good of all women,” said Sabala.
“This is something that’s just not right,” said Barnes.
If you’ve seen this gender price discrimination, we’d love to hear from you- and so would your local lawmaker. You can click here to help you find your specific state representative.
