What is the Pink Tax?
According to UN Women, one of the manifestations of gender inequality that stand out the most is the Pink Tax. The Pink Tax has several definitions, although it is generally described as an extra cost added to products which are mostly marketed toward women. It is mainly applied in the Americas, more specifically in South America, in countries like Mexico and Argentina where women are paid wages 20% lower than men. For example, in Argentina, products targeted for women are 14% more expensive than those for men.
This translates into an additional cost that goes up to an extra 30%. Products such as shaving razors, deodorants, skincare creams, shampoos and even candy can be 40% more expensive if they are "made for her." As detailed in a Pink Tax report by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), toys and accessories for girls are 7% more expensive than those for boys; in children's clothes, the gap rounds 4% and in adults' clothes it goes up to 8%. Personal and health care items for seniors are also 13% and 8% more expensive, respectively.
Additionally, the gender wage gap complicates women's lives further. Globally, women are paid an average 20.2% less than men, even though they work longer hours, have higher levels of participation in the job market and are more educated. On top of this, 60% of them are underpaid.
Sobre finanzas y feminismo, ¿conocés el activismo de Karen Cahn?
Karen Cahn is the founder of IFundWomen, an American funding platform that helps women entrepreneurs get access to capital, coaching and consultancy.
Before working on her own organization, Cahn promoted the first native video ad experiences monetized on YouTube in 2016, back when said social network was taking its first steps. Today, she is an investor through Golden Seeds and is on the board of advisors of Girl Rising, an organization dedicated to girls' education in developing countries.
Her activism has driven her to question the existent gender gap. She recently shared her thoughts on her LinkedIn account:
“Time is money, and what people rarely talk about is the amount of time it takes for women in the workplace to simply present professionally. Today’s self glam took ~45 mins. When women look at other women entrepreneurs on IG and see glam 24/7, it’s not real.”
Menstruation as an affair of state
Since 2017, Economía Feminista has been promoting the #MenstruAcción campaign. Its main purpose is to bring light to the need to break down taboos surrounding menstruation to ensure full access to rights. The purchase of menstrual hygiene management products has a big impact on the annual budgets of all people who have periods, which is half of our country's population. However, there is no national legislation to address it as an affair of State.
As explained in the campaign: "Menstruation is still today considered taboo. This situation coupled with the lack of access to menstrual hygiene management products increases social inequalities, leads to absences from school and has a direct impact on the health of all people who menstruate." Additionally, menstrual hygiene management has its own particular requirements: access to clean water, appropriate sanitary installations, menstrual hygiene products, means for waste disposal and, specially, knowledge and awareness on the issue. Many people lack information, support and resources to deal with this.
Some municipalities and provincial governments have stepped up their efforts to ensure these rights are respected. The city of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, and the municipality of Morón, Buenos Aires, have enforced local legislations ordering that menstrual pads be provided for free. Additionally, some bills have been introduced to exempt menstrual hygiene products from taxation and expand free distribution nationwide, but they have not been passed yet.