Why do women pay more for the same everyday products? In this episode of Unladylike, we unpack the economics and social pressures behind the pink tax — the gender-based price disparity that quietly adds up over a lifetime.
From razors and deodorants to haircuts and toys, research across the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, and India shows that products marketed to women consistently cost more than identical alternatives for men. Even when taxes are removed, the price gap remains.
This isn’t about color or preference. It’s about pressure. Companies don’t price based on pink packaging, they price based on how necessary a product feels. For women, that “need” is shaped by expectations around appearance, professionalism, and respectability.
When women buy into it, it’s framed as choice.
When they don’t, it’s judged as careless, unprofessional, or “letting yourself go.”
Unladylike: The Pink Tax exposes how self-care became a gender surcharge — and why choice, in a market built on social pressure, is never fully free.
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