How much does a woman cost? No, I don’t mean it that way. I mean, how much does it cost you to landscape your face, pat lotions and potions into every pore, and generally make yourself look acceptable enough so that people don’t put on their ‘u ok hun’ face when you lumber into sight?
Thanks to a little something called ‘gendered pricing’, it’s probably a lot more than you think. In practice, it means that women pay more than men for basic grooming products and services – like haircuts, dry cleaning and everyday toiletries like shampoo and deodorant.
According to a new Vox investigation, this is pretty endemic in America. One study from the University of Central Florida found that on average, women’s deodorant cost 30 cents more than men’s. The only difference was the scent, which I can only assume was a delicate blend of honeysuckle, lavender and sexism.
According to Emily Spensier, the president of a brand consultancy called Female Engineered Marketing, the price gap is ‘absolutely there’.
‘That whole “it's made for a woman” thing makes it feel more special because it's made for me,’ she told Vox. ‘And that's where the real opportunity is.’
If you’re anything like me, you automatically bypass the For Men aisle in a pharmacy or drug store. When you do compare prices, it’s against other female-marketed products. Floral scents, ‘feminine’ pink packaging: these are all ways to play to a captive market just by adding a bit of cheap fragrance or colour.
This problem isn’t confined to the Land of the Free, either. I did a quick whizz through my local shops to see if I could spot any similar pricing differences. First offender: shaving gel. Now, making a good one isn’t exactly rocket science – all that’s required is something lubricating (no sniggering in the back) that lets you take a whack at your body with a sharp implement without hitting a major artery.
But for some reason, there’s a £1.39 price difference between this Gillette Satin Care sensitive gel and its Gillette Series counterpart. Even a cheaper Satin Care product for women comes in at 60p more expensive.
Next up: these two disposable razors from Wilkinson Sword. Beyond the colour – pink for girls, green for guys – there’s not much to differentiate them. Both contain aloe vera, and the men’s version actually throws in some extra jojoba. So why does a pack of ten Extra 2 Beauty Disposable Razors cost £4.39, while its full-price male equivalent costs £3.65? Does it cost more to manufacture in pink?
The price discrepancies aren’t confined to the shaving aisle. Right Guard anti-perspirant sprays are discounted to a quid – makes sense, since they both have Sweat Detect technology and promise to keep you cool for 72 hours. So what’s behind the original 39p mark-up on the full price of the women’s deodorant?
Even medication isn’t exempt. Feminax markets itself as a painkiller for cramps and period pain: each tablet contains 200mg of ibuprofen. But your garden variety, unisex pack of painkillers costs 50p less – and it contains the exact same amount of ibuprofen. It’s just not in a pink box.
I’m sure there are some companies that do offer men’s and women’s products at the same prices. But while manufacturers will often recommend a retail price, it’s up to supermarkets and stores to decide how much they want to sell goods – and call me crazy, but I get the feeling they’re not hiking up the cost of Lynx.
OK, so pinching pennies over armpit spray isn’t the coolest thing you can do with your spare time. But over a lifetime, these price hikes in your daily routine add up. Imagine if you had to tack on an extra 10p every time you took a bus ride, just because you were a woman. Furious yet?
In short, being a woman is expensive – not least because on a basic level, us ladies are expected to adhere to higher grooming and beauty standards than men. But while some of us enjoy using make-up, there’s no reason why an entire gender should have to pay more than the other for the exact same products.
But until companies try to level the pricing field, there’s one easy solution for your average cash-strapped girl. Don’t get taken in by packaging, fragrance or labels that signal to you that something is For Dudes Only. It doesn’t make you any less of a woman if you reach for the Ultra Mach 12 Uber Turbo razor (OK, I made that up) in the bathroom. It just makes you savvier.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.