The term “Pink Tax” is rather misleading, as there is no actual tax on products targeted towards women; but rather, these products have elevated prices for things marketed. For example, a razor marketed for men and one for women will have two different price points when they are virtually the same product.

The term “Pink Tax” was first coined in the mid 90’s when the Gender Tax Repeal Act of 1995 passed, an act that banned price discrimination in California. Since then it’s been used to describe the seemingly small gap in prices that adds up over time. According to Jeanne Sun, a general Manager of Inclusive Investing for J.P. Morgan, women pay up to $1,300 annually due to the Pink Tax. The price gouging added onto the fact that women make 82 cents for every dollar a man makes living as a woman expensive. That’s not including the period tax, also known as the tampon tax. 

This term refers to the fact that feminine hygiene products such as tampons, pads, liners or cups are being taxed as a luxury. These products are a necessity that women throughout the world rely on, however its tax makes it costly and inaccessible to lower income individuals who menstruate. According to Reuters, “ in a large U.S. city finds that nearly two-thirds couldn’t afford menstrual hygiene products such as tampons or pads during the previous year.” The statistic from 2019 is likely more exasperated due to widespread issues such as the pandemic. CBS News states that as of now 20 states are Period Tax free, five of the states having no sales taxes and the rest absolving period products from sales tax.

Although the statistics are discouraging there are a plethora of organizations fighting against this unjust taxation like taxfreeperiod and thepadproject. As reported by Kiplinger, CVS will take a stand against the taxation of feminine hygiene products ; since 2022 they have pledged to pay the sales tax in states like Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Despite the fact that Period Taxes are being resolved, Pink Taxes still remain due to corporate greed. In the study From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer, it displays how it starts from the very beginning of a child’s life. An example of this was a uniform shirt from page 9, almost identical to each other; the only difference between the two was who it was marketed to and the price. The shirt marketed towards girls was $2.30 dollars more than the one marketed towards boys. These variations in price become even more noticeable in adulthood with self care items such as razors costing almost 66% higher than men’s. 

An example of this would be Gillette razors, on Amazon the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razors for Men is $19.99 without tax. The Gillette Venus Extra Smooth Swirl Razors for Women however is $24.99 without tax. Both packs come with the same items, a handle and four refills, the only difference being that one is targeted towards women and the jump in price.

“Considering women have to buy more sanitary products than men, we should be getting a discount on them, not be taxed for it, “said RV senior Rebecca Kaserkie. “So not only are periods painful and inconvenient, they’re expensive.”

Life as a woman is costly and as inflation rises it becomes worse. Give us a break and let us take care of ourselves without shucking out the extra bucks.