Women's Products Cost More, Even Though We Get Less

The folks at The Daily Share put this video together, showing the disparity in costs of things like razors, haircuts (regardless of hair length), skin care products, and even deodorant. The funny thing about deodorant, too, is that men get more of it. Strange, isn’t it? Even when the prices seem like they’re the same, a closer look proves that the men are getting a better price per ounce, and theirs is going to last a little longer, because there’s more in the container.

I wanted to double check this, but it’s cold out, so I did what any self-respecting indoorsy person does and looked online. I tried to find the most reasonable comparison points, and I did: Mennen Speed Stick is $3.99 at drugstore.com, and so is LADY Speed Stick, but the women only get 2.6 ounces while the men get 3, making the per-ounce price 50 cents more, or 25 cents more per pit. In fact, that seems to be something of a standard size, 3 ounces for the men, 2.6 ounces for the women. The ingredients are the same, so maybe they just think the slightly larger container is too heavy for us.

This is all cute and funny when you’re talking about a few cents, but it adds up over a lifetime. A California study found that women pay about $1,351 more annually than men for similar goods and services. This gender gap also affected the cost of health insurance, but the Affordable Care Act now requires health insurance companies to end the pricing discrepancy.

The moral of the story? Pay attention. If men’s products are the same, like deodorant and shampoo and shaving cream, don’t be tricked by the pink containers and labels, just buy the product you need at the best price. And when you get a new haircut, maybe try to fake them out a little. “My husband’s hair is about the same length as mine—how much will it cost him to get it cut?” Then demand the same price, and be ready to stand your ground.