# Is there really a "Pink Tax"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 22, 2020, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230 "2020-09-22T10:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/161 "2020-09-23T19:54:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > That can be said of a lot of racism, and a lot of other "ism"s. The bad outcomes don’t require evil intent Yes indeed. Sometimes the bigots even genuinely have benign intentions. Some of the people who want(ed) to prevent women from taking jobs perceived as physically strenuous, or to prevent women or black people from doing work perceived as requiring intelligence, honestly thought they were providing benevolent protection, as one would by passing laws saying that six-year-olds shouldn’t run power equipment. > [@thickpancreas](#): > > a braided leather belt as opposed to a basic strap. A guitar with pink flowers painted on it as opposed to a plain black guitar. Shampoo that comes in a pink bottle with fragrance additives instead of a shampoo in a generic bottle that doesn’t include coconut scent. > > Pink tax items cost more because they have additional manufacturing steps and processes to appeal to a specific demographic, in this case women. Oh, good grief. This is utter nonsense. The versions marketed to men aren’t unpainted, or painted without designs. They’re just painted different colors and with different designs. Men also wear fancy belts with braids, complicated designs on belt buckles, and so on. And pretty much everything has scent added to it – just different scents. Even most “unscented” products, if you look at the label, contain masking ingredients designed to hide the natural scent of some of the other ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/162 "2020-09-23T20:01:35Z")
This is nonsense, because men pay more for the “fancier” items too! And they don’t complain about it like you are now. It’s common sense that a pink belt with braids will cost more than a basic black or brown belt. Whether it’s for men or women. It just so happens that women are more likely to expect the belt with braids as being the standard. In the cases where women are actually paying more for the _exact same item_ but packaged differently…I don’t know what to tell you other than that women need to shop better. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/163 "2020-09-23T20:02:40Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Oh, good grief. This is utter nonsense. > > The versions marketed to men aren’t unpainted, or painted without designs. They’re just painted different colors and with different designs. Men also wear fancy belts with braids, complicated designs on belt buckles, and so on. And pretty much everything has scent added to it – just different scents. Even most “unscented” products, if you look at the label, contain masking ingredients designed to hide the natural scent of some of the other ingredients. It shows how pervasive this is, doesn’t it? The men’s version is “normal”, the women’s is “weird”. We speak “normal” English, the British and the Australians and the Indians speak “accented”. Making a crash test dummy 5’10" is normal, making it 5’5" would be weird, and so more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/164 "2020-09-23T20:05:33Z")
A brown leather bag processed to be white with pink accents and extra stitching costs extra because there is extra work involved. It is “extra” compared to the basic version. The lack of basic reasoning skills is pervasive in this thread lol ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/165 "2020-09-23T20:12:48Z")
> [@thickpancreas](#): > > It’s common sense that a pink belt with braids will cost more than a basic black or brown belt. And that’s not what anyone is calling a pink tax. > [@thickpancreas](#): > > In the cases where women are actually paying more for the _exact same item_ but packaged differently…I don’t know what to tell you other than that women need to shop better. This has been addressed over and over in this thread. Please read the thread. > [@MandaJo](#): > > It shows how pervasive this is, doesn’t it? The men’s version is “normal”, the women’s is “weird”. [. . .] Making a crash test dummy 5’10" is normal, making it 5’5" would be weird, and so more expensive Exactly. > [@thickpancreas](#): > > A brown leather bag processed to be white with pink accents and extra stitching costs extra because there is extra work involved. It is “extra” compared to the basic version. > > The lack of basic reasoning skills is pervasive in this thread lol Yet again: that is not remotely what anyone is complaining about. The lack of basic reading comprehension evident in your posts is pervasive through them. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/166 "2020-09-23T20:16:39Z")
If the “mens” and “womens” product is _exactly_ the same why don’t women just buy the mens version and save some money? ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/167 "2020-09-23T20:18:39Z")
Yeah, so you should know about the item you are trying to make a deal on before you try to make a deal. Don’t see what’s wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/168 "2020-09-23T20:21:50Z")
> [@thickpancreas](#): > > If the “mens” and “womens” product is _exactly_ the same why don’t women just buy the mens version and save some money? Read. The. Thread. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/169 "2020-09-23T20:24:33Z")
I’m not sure where this was succinctly addressed, the thread is 168 posts long at this point. You could probably sum it up in a single sentence if you’d like…I mean, you’re taking the time to say I don’t know how to read. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/170 "2020-09-23T20:26:19Z")
Even if there IS an identical product in the men’s aisle, women have to expend more time shopping to buy the cheaper product. Time is money. Men can just go and grab the thing without being charged extra. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/171 "2020-09-23T20:32:56Z")
Why does a woman have to spend more time to buy something than a man? That doesn’t make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/172 "2020-09-23T20:37:05Z")
> [@thickpancreas](#): > > I mean, you’re taking the time to say I don’t know how to read. And, you’re taking the time to post again and again in this thread, with comments that have already been addressed upthread. You could, instead, take the time you’re spending posting, and skim the rest of the thread; it’s not like trying to read _War and Peace._ ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/173 "2020-09-23T20:40:32Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Just goes to show, we have no “good term” for long term relationships that do not involve marriage. She often introduces me as her husband just to make it simpler. I’ve noticed, on Brit tv shows at any rate, that “partner” has become the preferred term regardless of the genders involved. I think this is a great workaround because society has a greater privilege freighting for “married” than “partnered” regardless of the length and depth of the commitment involved. A couple who’ve been married six months is generally considered to be more committed than a couple who’ve lived together twenty years and that’s kind of short sighted and goofy. I use “partner” myself in general just because it’s simpler–most of my friends are gay, non-binary and/or in unconventional relationships that are basically nobody’s business so “partner” works for every situation. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/174 "2020-09-23T20:43:28Z")
I refer to the woman my brother has been with for more than a decade now as “my brother’s partner”. I, also, stole the term from gay usage. But it’s a very useful word. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/175 "2020-09-23T20:47:18Z")
Definitely–it gets the point across without either leaving out or extraneously introducing information not relevant to the interaction. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/176 "2020-09-23T20:53:16Z")
I was just offering my opinion, like everyone else ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/177 "2020-09-23T21:08:18Z")
But your opinion seems extremely resistant to data. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/178 "2020-09-23T21:09:58Z")
Its not, though. You didn’t even respond to my previous reply of yours, lol ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/179 "2020-09-23T21:13:53Z")
because 1. it had recently been discussed 2. it was kinda obvious from your own suggestion, that if women were paying more it was because they weren’t shopping well enough – something that men don’t have to do, as you pretty much acknowledged. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/180 "2020-09-23T21:20:10Z")
Men do have to shop well to avoid wasting money, though. Why do you think that isn’t true? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230.md?page=10)