Everything You Should Know About Pink Tax: Why Women Are Paying Higher Prices?

Recently, founder and executive chairperson of Indian Biopharmaceutical Company Biocon, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw shared a video on X platform highlighting the biased pricing practices for products that women have been using all across the globe. Mazumdar-Shaw categorically slammed the practices and urged women to abandon such products. "Pink Tax! A shameful gender bias that women must respond to by shunning such products," Mazumdar-Shaw said.

Everything You Should Know About Pink Tax: As per the World Economic Forum (WEF), consumer products targeted and advertised to women are sometimes reportedly pricier than similar products marketed to men. This disparity or discrimination is termed as pink tax.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw retweeted a video on March 13 by Dr Sanjay Arora, where he explains how women are charged far more for some products "of the same size and quantity" by brands and men are charged less. He even cited the examples of some beauty saloons where he is charged far less than his wife as she ends up paying far more for a simple hair-cut.

WEF says gender-based price disparities have been in existence in many sectors, but one of the most prominent remains the personal care products. These products are soaps, lotions, deodorants, razor blades that have been marketed specifically to either women or men, as per reports.

The video highlights Dr Sanjay Arora PhD discussing the price discrimination for similar products.

He went on to say that a lip balm has been priced at Rs 250 for women as compared to Rs 165 for men, a plain razor has been priced 10% higher for women than men and a T-shirt 50% higher for women.

Dr Arora went on to say that women despite getting paid 14.8% less in wages for the similar job a man does are paying higher costs for similar products due to existence of pink tax.

Does Pink Tax Exist In India Only?

WEF highlights an American government study and yet another study in UK to make its point. In the US, the analysis of 800 gender-specific products from approximately 100 brands highlighted that on average, personal care products meant for women were 13% more costly than similar products for males. Another US investigation discovered that dry cleaning prices for women's dress shirts were 90% more than men's shirts. And, in the UK, an analysis discovered that women's deodorant was on average 8.9% more costly than men's. Women's facial moisturiser was 34.28% more expensive than men's, according to report.