Ways it's more expensive to be a woman

[darleneconnor]

Our razors have VAT on them
ditto sanitary products
haircuts
pensions
wedding attire
bras
shoes
jewellery
maternity wear
pink versions of electrical goods usually cost more

feel free to continue the list

1. Stupid denier tights that cost a fiver each and ladder before you leave the fucking house

you are seriously getting ripped off on this . Its 5 pairs for a quid from primark

I have to agree with noodle here. You really don't need any of these things - well obviously you need shoes etc but there's no reason you need more of them or more expensive versions than men do. It is true about men's haircuts being cheaper - and it does annoy me that salons advertise different prices so exactly the same cut would cost more just because the customer was a woman, I don't understand how this is acceptable especially as it's not allowed to offer cheaper car insurance for women etc - though also true that it's more acceptable for women to just have long hair and only have it cut once or twice a year.

mmm, I think going back to Sakura's point - actually there a lot of things women do that men don't, rather than women doing more expensive versions than men. And women are doing these things (make up, waxing, tights, high heels) because of social norms and conventions.

Noodle... for reaons unrelated to this thread, I would never, ever buy from Primark , also I like my legs to look the same colour as the rest of me...

Depends how picky you are. In my area a lot of people wouldnt be bothered if you have hairy legs, slob round in trackies if you want, cut your hair every 6 months. It is very rare to see anyone in high heels in the day that would be a fashion no no. No one wears them anymore unless maybe if you were out drinking as they are out of fashion, everyone wears fake uggs, primark flats or flip flops.

snowmama - Also you say you are resisting feminity but are picking about tights? No one ever comments that your tights are a different colour to the rest of a persons body. I havent even noticed that before again I think if you buy in to all this stuff its often cause you have way too much time on your hands for anyone to care about this stuff or way too much money!

.. my personal challenge is that I am not not resisting feminitity particuarly well.

I actually very little of either, but just as personal test ask the next black woman you know, her opinion on buying 'nude tights'...

.. have very little .. I mean

Getting back to OP it's the VAT on sanitary products that really bugs me, they are hardly a luxury item!

Didnt think about if you were a black woman but really the cheaper shops should stock tights to match a wider range of skintones. I dont know why they dont do this as there are many black women in the country so would make sense for them.

I think that uis unfortunate they dont do this but all the other stuff no one really has to do if they dont want to. Many of the list of things arent essentials and something you have to do if you dont want to as 1000s of women dont do them regularly.

Did you all know that the rate of VAT on "sanitary protection" products has been 5% since 2001? It used to be the full rate - which is now of course 20%.

Still crap I know but at least it is not 20%. I believe it was reduced due to women campaigning.

Do no women realise that their pension buys a lower annuity upon retirement than a man who has paid in the same amount?

I know a lot of these purchases are technically voluntary but women do spend money o- them so on average it does make it more expensive to be a woman.

It' s like saying the gender pay gap isnt important because technically we dont have to work!

Women (on average) get their pensions for longer though, because (on average) they live significantly longer than men. So it arguably it wouldn't be fair for a man and woman who had paid the same amount into a pension to receive the same monthly/yearly pay-out, because the woman would effectively be getting more, and being subsidised by the man.

State pensions and pension credit pay out the same amounts to men and women in the same circumstances.

darlene no I didn't know that, how so?

And yes, I know that we can buy cheapo clothes etc... but we are very lucky to be able to buy things like that so cheaply. And in fact, the only reason that we can buy five pairs of tights for a pound in Primark is that somewhere else in the world, the person who made them is being paid an inhumanly tiny amount of money to do so.

It seems that the only choices are to spend loads of money on this stuff, to spend less money (which involves exploiting other people), or to reject it altogether. I suppose the last option is the ideal, but the first two are easier.

I think the pensions annuity thing is because women on average live longer, so the pension will be expected to be paid for longer, therefore a lower amount per year? Not sure how that can be justified, especially now women can't have cheaper car insurance because we're on average safer drivers - I thought it had been ruled unacceptable to use gender as a proxy like that?

As for the other stuff - surely the easiest option is to just reject it. Or better still never start doing it in the first place. For example I've never worn tights or considered wearing them or even spent a moment thinking about them since I was about 12 and they were part of school uniform (horrible thick wooly ones!). So no dilemma over expense/ethics. Same with make up, perfume, high-heeled shoes, hair conditioner etc. Never used them, never wanted them, never missed them.

Of course if you want to buy these things then go ahead. But you don't have to just because you're a woman, any more than men have to buy expensive sports cars or hi fi or whatever. I really don't feel this is a feminist issue. Don't want the stuff, don't buy it. Do want it - fine, but obviously it will cost you!

Yy to maternity wear, maternity/nursing bras, clothes that fit post pg when you are too small for mat wear but too big for pre-pg clothes.

Yes, I thought that the annuity thing would have been overruled by Europe, the same as with car insurance? Not that either of those have been implemented yet, I think...