International Studies and the Pink Tax Dilemma

ISAFIS Biweekly Discussion - February 13th, 2016

International Studies
As a youth-led organization, the Indonesian Student Association for International Studies (ISAFIS) ventures to promote peace and tolerance through mutual understanding among nations, making the comprehension of the term “International Studies” both an imperative and a great way to start the first biweekly discussion of 2016. It is also interesting to note that when attempting to understand the phrase “International Studies,” one might find themselves tangled up with another similar phrase, “International Relations.” By drawing a clear line that distinguishes between these two sets of terms and recognizing the actors in international studies, we will be equipped to dive and dissect the international issues that we encounter on a daily basis.

“International Relations” (IR), as a discipline of study, appeared following the end of World War I to investigate the increasing security and economic issues that followed the turbulent phase of history, and today, mostly concerns itself with the interactions among nations involving international security, economics, and politics. Initially, IR was constructed to devise solutions that may prevent or stop wars and conflicts; however, this function expanded accordingly with global developments. On the other hand, “International Studies” (IS) discusses a wider scope of international issues, examining anything that has a global orientation, which does not merely involve political, economics or security aspects, but also environmental and socio-cultural concerns as examples.

With the definition firmly set in place, understanding the stakeholders and actors in the global playing field is an important element to being able to conduct international studies. The aforementioned roles are open to not just states but also non-state entities such as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), international institutions or organizations, and even individuals. What makes them all stakeholders of a variety of international issues is that not only does global policy-making affect them, but they can also influence the process itself.

Having an elementary understanding of IS may be fragmentary without grasping the reason why being aware of international issues is crucial. With the onslaught of globalization, events and decisions made on the other side of the world may affect our daily lives today. By comprehending international issues, it opens up our horizons as well as our opportunities to take up more roles and contribute towards our global society.

 

The Pink Tax

ISAFIS as an organization does not merely concern itself with international political, economics or security issues. We also recognize that dynamics in the social and cultural fabric of the world are important to note and observe. One of the most pressing issues that can be found on the international discussion table is gender equality.

“Gender equality” is an objective that aims to achieve impartiality in rights and treatments between men and women. The extent of the subject matter ranges from politics, economics and socio-cultural. Although efforts for gender equality are mostly found on nation-wide scales, international organizations and movements strive to promote and encourage equal opportunity among genders. These organizations include the UN Women (with its world-wide campaign HeforShe), Women’s Rights Worldwide, and Equality Now. In spite of the fact that the gap between men and women has been consistently narrowed down, a trending global phenomenon of “Pink Tax” emerged as stumbling block to achieving gender equality.

“Pink Tax” refers to the price difference among items that are marketed for women with the same products that are marketed for men. The invocation of the color pink is due to a practice done by some producers that have painted their goods (be it children’s scooters or disposable razors) a rose-y hue and slapped on labels such as “For Women” along with images and icons that are socially-agreed upon as “feminine” while attaching a more expensive price tag compared with its unisex or male counterpart. It is believed that with the wide-ranging scope of multinational companies, the “pink tax” phenomenon is not merely isolated in certain countries, giving it a global orientation.

Simply put, “Pink Tax” is part of a practice called gender-based pricing, but the underlying question is whether or not the act can be considered gender-discriminating or is it merely a business move. Although some may see the differentiation between “female” and “male” goods and services as a privilege, the bias may be considered an act of disparate impact discrimination as it negatively affects a class of society. Production factors and market behavior have to be acknowledged when evaluating the pricing policies of companies, and it is a well-known economic principle that fewer specialized goods (in this case, pink ones) may cost more to produce and that businesses bow to the bidding of market demand. With this consideration in mind, gender-based pricing may seem like a justifiable cause to achieve the most profit. However, to what extent may we deem the action unethical?

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>.