Doesn’t it seem unfair sometimes that certain things cost more for women than for men?
You can understand a fancy skin cream costing more than a pot of Nivea but why do we women pay more for so many things, despite the fact that woman usually earn less than men. Is it because we allow it to happen, or because we fall for the hype? Are we paying for advertising aimed at women? Or fancy packaging? Do children need to be brought up with all these gender stereotypes?
- haircuts – both women and men can have short or long hair, complicated or easy cuts. Why not charge per style instead?
- razors – basic razors do pretty much the same job. Why do women pay more for a basic razor just because it’s pink?
- jeans. What can cost more for a standard five-pocket classic fit pair of jeans for women, when the men’s version by the same brand costs less?
- cologne – surely the men’s and women’s fragrances in the same series by the same brand cannot cost different amounts?
In South Africa I always used men’s deodorant and fragrance because it suited me better. Nowadays I use gender-neutral antiperspirant and I hardly ever wear perfume. I also used to wear men’s jeans (Lee and Levis mostly) as I have never had hips and they suit me better. My very fashion conscious cousin used to give me his eye-wateringly expensive shirts when he got tired of them and I loved wearing them. My jean jacket was unisex. My shoes were usually unisex Caterpillar boots.
Nowadays the market for women’s products is much larger. Women have their own income and are a much larger part of the purchasing population. It’s just a pity that in some areas we seem to be paying more for it too.