“Should women’s products cost more than men’s?” is a 2015 video from Liz Plank’s Flip the Script, a web series from the online news platform, Mic. In each Flip the Script video, Plank examines a different social issue. In this video, she looks at the “pink tax,” where women are charged more than men for what are essentially identical products and services.  Plank and a man named Alex buy nearly identical hygiene products from the drugstore, with the only difference being that Plank buys women’s versions and Alex buys men’s versions. After comparing the cost, they then swap products to see if there is really any difference between the two.

discussion

What is the “pink tax” and how is it explained in the video? Where do we see it in our everyday lives? How is it different from simply marketing to a particular consumer group?

How does the video set up an argument about the “pink tax”? What role does Alex play in the video? Is his participation necessary?

How are men and women’s products alike or different, according to the video? Can this ever justify a price difference?

Based on the information provided in this video, can you draw any conclusions about how the pink tax might affect women’s finances over the long term? What consequences could this have?

Can you think of any reasons why more women don’t currently buy the functionally identical men’s products to save money? What does this tell us about gender and gendered advertising?

Can you think of a solution to the pink tax? Make sure your proposal takes into account possible objections that people might have.