Woman, Are You High Maintenance?

In a society where women earn less for the same work, the effect of the pink tax can be very harmful. This results not only in women spending more on daily use products but also results in them saving less for the future.

It is often that women are called ‘high maintenance’, a derogatory term used for shallow women, who spend a little too much money to fulfil their material wants. Recently, one of my friends mentioned to me that most women are high maintenance without even realizing it. At the time, I obviously protested loudly but later I introspected a little.

I started to compare some of my expenses and purchases with that of my husband. What I found was surprising. I found that my deodorant, moisturizer, face wash, body wash, hair oil, and shampoo all cost double the amount he did. The contents of most of these products were identical, yet the products marketed towards women cost more for no reason whatsoever. 

At the time I was unaware of this phenomenon, but a little research showed that there is actually a term for this sort of discriminatory pricing. This higher invisible price of goods and services targeted towards women consumers is a ‘Pink Tax’, which widely exists. 

The pink tax is justified by the manufacturers/producers as women are considered more difficult to please and require aesthetically appealing and attractive packaging and marketing. Also, women are willing to spend more on their appearance and grooming, hence they do not mind higher costs on certain products and services. Furthermore, women are less price elastic and higher pricing does not dissuade loyal consumers easily to shift brand loyalty.

In a society where women earn less for the same work, the effect of the pink tax can be very harmful. This results not only in women spending more on daily use products but also results in them saving less for the future.

So, next time you pick up the exorbitantly priced pink product, think again. Be the conscious consumer and consider similar unisex or male-oriented products instead, or consider switching to an entirely different brand that refrains from charging the pink tax.

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Image source: An image from Pexels

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