Items marketed to women are more likely to cost more

Parent Cafe
1

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/dca/partners/gender-pricing-study.page

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Yes, this is the Woman’s Tax. Isn’t this something that’s been known and talked about for years?

I generally buy “men’s” stuff. So much cheaper and it’s the same…

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Actually, I often find that the “men’s stuff” is more durable and timeless than “women’s stuff,” so I tend to prefer the former, which is often cheaper and doesn’t need to be replaced nearly as often.

4

Rather than some nefarious anti-woman bias, this is most likely due to extensive studies by marketing analysts that show a couple of things: 1) people are more likely to pay a higher price for targeted marketing 2) some people are more likely to equate quality with price. (it costs more, so it must be better)

Understand, these are not my particular thoughts as most of the women in my life are quite frugal.

But if you think about it in the micro economy and you can sell the same thing to one group of people for a higher price just by labeling it as ‘for’ them, it makes good sense. No real incremental costs, but in a world of tight margins and pressure from investors to improve those margins, businesses will take the low-hanging fruit.

I expect that if enough women take the tack of @romanigypsyeyes and @HImom then you may see changes.

5

I noticed the deodorant I buy (unscented) costs less in the “men’s” color (green) vs the “women’s” color (pink) so I buy the green. Everything else is identical.

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This was on the news yesterday. Why buy. “Mens” vs “women’s” shampoo?? Seems silly.

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I tried a men’s unscented deodorant, but it was stronger and I had a reaction to it. I have purchased Mens sweaters before, and been pleased with them. My mom wore mens t-shirts for years.

8

This may be groundbreaking news to you, ucb, but it’s something every woman has known for years.

9

And this is just like buying generic Benadryl for sleep, which is more expensive than the generic Benadryl for allergies.
Mens and women’s blouses/ shirts/coats button in the reverse, and I believe the sippers on pants are opposite too (not for sure on the latter)

10

Duh.

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Men’s pants have nice waistbands and longer pockets and are usually more durable and better made - for the same price. I would buy them in a minute, if the fit was better! I wish they made women’s pants as well as the men’s pants.

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Dry cleaning pricing differential is what kills me. A dress that is the same amount of fabric as one leg of a man’s pair of pants will cost twice the price to clean.

I have always purchased men’s razors for myself.

I was surprised to learn that men’s suit pants have an extra couple of inches of fabric sewn into the waistband to allow for alterations. Huge money-saver when I did not have to replace college son’s suit pants but instead could have waistband let out an inch.

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I think that dry cleaners are justified in their price difference between mens/womens clothing.
Just yesterday I had to iron one of my dress shirts and one of my husbands. My shirt had all kinds of darts that made ironing it a hassle. It took much longer than my husband’s shirt which has lots of straight seams. More time = more cost.

And I really, really wish that woman’s pants included decent pockets like men’s pants have!!!
I would have no problem buing men’s clothing but I am not shaped like a man - which I guess is a good thing. :slight_smile: