International Studies and the Pink Tax Dilemma

Although the act of gender-based pricing may be considered justifiable as a business strategy, there are fundamentally discriminative concepts that act as a base towards phenomena such as “Pink Tax.” Apart from common gender-color stereotypes, the idea that women are more consumptive and have more time on their hands for frivolities is an example of a harmful social principle. The mindset behind gender-based pricing is manipulated by businesses and at the same time propagated by them.

The argument may then shift to a legal plane with the inquiry of whether or not gender-based pricing should be legally actionable as a means to limit or stop the phenomenon at once. Certain states in the USA have outlawed gender-based pricing while other countries provide a legal framework of which companies may not transgress in their respective consumer-protection laws. Another alternative to legal action would be the manipulation of the market. It has been said that companies follow along with market behavior, shifts that can be made upon consumption may change the tide of pricing different goods and services.

Despite having that solution towards unfair pricing, it is crucial to make intrinsic changes upon the gender-stereotype and the system and so that other manifestations of gender discrimination may be identified and halted. As youths entering a productive age, we can help raise the awareness of the issue and disseminate the information by optimizing the social media. This way we can be a literate and responsible market for consumer goods. By making better knowledgeable consumer decisions, we are spreading better consumer decisions, and slowly piece by piece removing stereotyping and gender-bias from our global store shelves.

References

Ayres, Ian. "Which Retailers Charge the Largest 'Pink Tax'?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 7 Jan. 2016. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/whynot/2016/01/07/which-retailers-charge-the-largest-pink-tax/#3f6114cf5462>.

Lam, Bourree. "Battle of the Prices: Is It Ever Fair to Charge One Sex More." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 18 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/battle-of-the-prices-is-it-ever-fair-to-charge-one-sex-more/381546/>.

Paquette, Danielle. "Why You Should Always Buy the Men’s Version of Almost Anything." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/22/women-really-do-pay-more-for-razors-and-almost-everything-else/>.

Seitz, John L., and Kristen A. Hite. Global Issues: An Introduction. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.

United Kingdom House of Commons Debate Pack: Gender Pricing (No. CDP 2016/0027, 2 February, 2016)

Ward, Victoria. "Women 'charged Twice as Much as Men for Identical Items'" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 19 Jan. 2016. Web. 13 Feb. 2016. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/12107244/Women-charged-twice-as-much-as-men-for-identical-items.html>.