It’s so sad that in the 21st century, we have to pay for the privilege of being female

Until I had my daughter, I didn’t realise how much companies were charging me for the privilege of being female. One day I went to a local supermarket to buy some disposable blades. As I was (and still am) on a strict budget, I took my time to compare the different prices to find the most competitive one. Then I noticed something surprising: a pack of 12 disposable blades for men cost quite a bit less than the pack of 12 for females and they were both made by the same manufacturer. Since then, I’ve only ever bought the men’s one. I could not justify the added price for buying the female one.

What is this privilege of being female?

The other day, I stumbled upon a video that talked about this issue better than I could have ever put it. This phenomenon of women paying more for things marketed at women is called THE PINK TAX

As someone who suffers from dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, I am shocked that anyone would tell me that tampons and sanitary pads are items of luxury, so should be taxed. However, condoms can be gotten for free. Between tampons and condoms, which do you think is a luxury? I go through Buscopan and paracetamol like skittles every month and someone has the cheek to say it’s a privilege being female, so I have to pay more for that privilege, smh. As I have a daughter, I hope this nonsensical view changes before my daughter’s puberty starts. My sister used to cry every month because her periods were excruciatingly painful. My painful periods only started after I had my daughter. Is this really a luxury?

Because of the high costs of hygiene products, girls all over the world (including the UK) miss classes because they cannot afford this luxurious privilege of being female. It’s the 21st century, should any of our daughters really miss a day of class because their family cannot afford hygiene products and/or medications for period pain? This is added to the fact that mothers tend to earn less after having their children, especially when the children are young. The cost of living is going up but salaries have remained stagnant at best. This consequently means more and more working-class families are going into poverty.

What are your thoughts about this privilege of being female, THE PINK TAX? What do you think we can do about this? If not for ourselves today but for our daughters. Please leave a comment below.