Does it Cost More to be a Woman than a Man in New York City?

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Women already have a tough time getting on par with men in the corporate world, do we now have to fight against gender bias in product pricing too? From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of being a Female Consumer, A Study of Gender Pricing in New York City is a study conducted by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA).

It covers five industries comprising toys and accessories, children’s and adults’ clothing, personal care products and home health care products for seniors. The study focuses on almost 800 products from 35 categories that have separate versions for boys and girls and men and women and are sold both in stores and online.

The report affirms that products made for women cost 7 percent more than those for men. Toys and accessories for girls cost seven percent more than boys’ toys. For instance bikes and scooters for little girls cost an average of $86.72 and those for boys cost $81.90. Similarly, helmets and pads will cost you an average of $25.79 if you have a daughter and $22.89 if you have a son.

Most girls and women love to dress up and this fascination for clothing can, unfortunately hurt your wallets because women’s clothing costs eight percent more than men’s clothing. Personal care products for women are more expensive too, by 13 percent and home health care products for senior women cost eight percent more. Overall, 30 out of the 35 product categories studied turned out to be gender-biased. We find that products for babies and children showed the least gender-based price differences, while personal care products for adults had the maximum gap. The remaining categories made up the middle ground.

These prices can add up quickly and make a huge impact on a woman’s finances. Gypped by Gender, a 1992 study conducted by the DCA found that women were paying higher prices for used cars, dry cleaning, laundry and even hair salon services. The conclusion was that people were not aware of the price differences and accepted it as a norm. Being more technologically savvy and aware of the consumer world, in 2015, has had very little impact on the situation.

Even though consumers do not have a say in how a product is made and what it is made of, shouldn’t we at least have the right to reason with manufacturers and retailers for equal pricing of similar products? Read the complete study here.

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