The silent surcharge: Pink tax and how it eats into women's earnings

You walk into a store selling personal care products and pick up two nearly identical products —one labelled for men, the other for women. To your surprise, the women’s version costs more. This invisible yet pervasive price disparity, known as the ‘pink tax’, quietly drains women’s wallets on everything from personal care items to professional services like dry cleaning and healthcare. 

Now, layering that with income tax, the financial gap widens even further, leaving women with less disposable income than their male counterparts. This isn’t just an unfair coincidence, it’s a systemic issue that deepens financial inequality.

Let’s move beyond symbolic gestures and confront this dual economic burden through meaningful tax reforms and policy solutions that support women’s financial empowerment.

The pink tax isn’t an official tax — it’s an implicit cost that women bear simply for being women. Studies worldwide have consistently exposed these price disparities:

● A 2015 report by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that women’s products cost 7% more on average than similar men’s products.

● In India, a survey revealed that items like razors, shampoos, and deodorants are priced 10-15% higher for women than their male counterparts.

● Even services, like dry cleaning and haircuts, often charge women 20-30% more for essentially the same offering.

For example, a women’s razor costs ₹250, while the men’s version—virtually identical—costs ₹200. A basic women’s haircut costs ₹500, while men pay ₹300 for the same service. These differences may seem insignificant, but over a lifetime, they accumulate into lakhs of rupees, impacting women’s savings, investments, and financial security.

Also Read: Where are the women?