Are We Measuring a Woman’s Worth in Deodorant Prices Now?

A quick market survey will shock you – women spend more than men on almost every basic product!

(Photo: iStock)

Let’s admit it, it’s expensive to be a woman.

And we’re not just talking in arcane feminist terms - although that’s a whole different story. The bitter truth is that women simply spend more than men – on things as basic as deodorants and hair products! Yet how fair is this policy? Usually swept right under the radar, the phenomenon is actually pretty well-known and called ‘gender pricing’.

Here’s how it works. In India, a woman, on an average, spends Rs 1,454 every month on grooming products as compared to men, who usually spend around Rs 1,110. (This the author found, much to her chagrin, after a personal survey of her own marketplace.)

Even though they are of the same brand, used for the same purpose and have almost similar ingredients, wide price chasms exist. Why is this? Simple, because we’re women and gender pricing will happily cash in on whatever that means.

Did you know in 1996, California banned gender discrimination in pricing? Good for them! Us ladies back home, however? We still need to shell out that extra rupee.

Take a look at some of the gender-priced products so that you may decide for yourself.

Roll-Ons

One brand, mark you. Yet the women’s version costs more. Perhaps the women’s roll-on lasts longer, you’d ask? Nope, that’s not even the case. Or is pink just a ‘pricier’ colour than the blue? That just stinks.

Sunscreen

One brand, one skin and one purpose: to save you from the sun. Still costly? For shame!

Razors

What makes a woman’s razor different from a man’s? The razor-sharp price difference, clearly.

Razor Blades

Even the refill cartridges cost more. I’m confused – does anyone know why women are at any advantage using ‘special’ women’s razors?

Body Shower

Both bottles look near-identical. The only difference? Why, one’s pink and has lilies – as opposed to the dark, masculine, non-lily-infested blue of the men’s. But of course that explains your pocket pinch!

Face Cream

It’s ayurvedic “care”, a single word loaded with the potency of a thousand gender battles that women are fighting – and losing. Fair to say, it’ll cost more.

Haircuts

(Photo: iStock)

Even if you’ve got hair as short as a man’s, you will still end up paying double the amount. In an Ambika Pillai salon, for instance, this reporter found that while men’s haircuts cost Rs 600+ taxes, a woman must shell out Rs700+taxes.

Hair Colour

Seriously, it’s just hair colour. How different can the ingredients be? Brand gurus really need to get an education.

You’ve probably been adding up figures like I have, through the course of the story. The difference doesn’t seem too much, you might argue, but in the end? When it all adds up, here’s the real stinker – why does the woman shell out more than the man?

The gender gods have been flashing swords for a while now, fighting out larger battles in the public domain. But before they can win this for you, ladies – make sure to be be a wise consumer and compare products for gender pricing.

One battle at a time.