New York passes legislation that prohibits gender-based pricing

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A New York state law that prohibits businesses from charging different prices for goods and services marketed toward women took effect Sept. 30.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed the ban on the “pink tax,” in April and included the measure in his 2020 Women’s Agenda, according to a press release. Businesses that violate the law will be charged fines.

Gender-based pricing is pervasive and historically rooted, said Danielle Taana Smith, an African American studies professor and a faculty affiliate of women’s and gender studies at Syracuse University. Women on average pay approximately 7% more than men for similar products, according to a study the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs conducted in 2015.

“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,” Cuomo said in a press release.

Legislation such as the pink tax ban should be welcomed, said Margarita Estevez-Abe, a political science professor at SU. But there’s more work to be done in terms of promoting gender equality in society, Estevez-Abe said.

“Discrimination goes beyond pink tax,” Estevez-Abe said. “Doctors pay less attention when women complain about some symptoms. Female academics are cited less frequently. Students evaluate female professors more harshly than male professors. The list goes on.”

Women are expected to spend more on personal care and are routinely charged more for those goods, Estevez-Abe said.

“These harmful practices against women are systemic and embedded within major social institutions,” Smith said. “These practices contribute to windfall profits for a few, with fewer ethical considerations, and a laissez-faire economic doctrine further perpetuates such practices. The New York State ban on the pink tax is welcome news and is long overdue.”