Some products marketed for women have been priced higher than identical products marketed to men, often differentiated only by packaging or descriptions. A distinguishing feature can be use of the color pink, giving rise to the term “pink tax” for such practices.
A 2015 study by New York City’s consumer affairs department analyzed price differences for about 800 goods including toys, clothing and personal-care products. It found that women’s products cost more 42% of the time, while men’s products cost more 18% of the time.
California banned gender distinctions in service pricing in 1995, but there are no rules against the practice in much of the U.S. A 2016 analysis from a congressional committee found evidence of unfair gender-based pricing in services. New York state enacted a broad prohibition on “pink taxes,” covering goods as well as services, in 2020.