As part of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2020 Agenda, gender-based price discrimination is now prohibited under State law in New York.
Dazed Beauty reported that the ‘Pink Tax Ban’ aims to restrict price discrimination between similar products and services based upon whether they are marketed for men or women. This state law will include consumer goods such as deodorant or razors, as well as services including dry cleaning and hairdressing.
“By abolishing the pink tax, women and girls will no longer be subject to harmful and unfair price discrimination and any businesses who fail to put an end to this despicable practice will be held accountable,” – Gov. Cuomo
The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs reported that hair care products had cost women 48% more than they did for men. On top of this, personal care products cost an average of 13% more for women than those marketed for men. Another study from 2011 found that 15% of “randomly selected hair salons charge the same prices for equivalent services for men and women”. The last few years have shown an increase in gender-neutral salons. In London, the chain Chop-Chop offers a gender-neutral pricing structure which charges all customers £20 for every 20 minutes spent. Dazed Beauty explain that “This new law in New York will ensure exceptions such as these become the norm with barbershops and hair salons no longer allowed to price their services based on gender. Prices can vary, however, based on a number of criteria including time, difficulty, and labour required”.
“Eliminating the pink tax helps put an end to gender-based pricing, ensure financial success and break down barriers for women,” Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “We do not tolerate discriminatory actions in our state, and we will continue to fight to eliminate the gender wage gap and achieve full equality and justice for all New Yorkers.”
