Home | WebMail | Register or Login

      Calgary | Regions | Local Traffic Report | Advertise on Action News | Contact

Login

Login

Please fill in your credentials to login.

Don't have an account? Register Sign up now.

Posted: 2014-11-20T21:54:28Z | Updated: 2014-11-21T13:59:01Z

Deodorant, razors, soap. Both men and women use all three of these products, and yet they're shelved according to which sex they're directly being marketed to. While this sparks the conflict of reinforcing binary gender roles, it also provides a costly imposition for women, who are routinely paying up to $1,300 a year more for exactly the same products that men are buying.

So why is this the case? According to Emily Spensieri, president of Female Engineered Marketing, it predominantly boils down to marketers knowing they can get away with it.

"They know women will pay more," she told HuffPost Live in a Friday interview. "So they are going after them a little more aggressive that way. Whatever the market will bear, that's the choice they make."

A smaller quantity of women's products are sold relative to men's products, she added, perhaps contributing to their steeper price.

"Women are much more likely to purchase a product that looks like it's for a man than a man will purchase a product that looks like it's made for a woman," she explained. To soften the impact of women purchasing cheaper, male-oriented alternatives, a higher price is charged for the "women's" versions.

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost

With females making 77 cents to a male's dollar, one thing is for sure: the pink tax isn't something we can afford to ignore.

Watch the clip above to hear more from HuffPost Live's conversation about the pink tax.

Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost