Posted on Nov 11, 2023
Feminist consumers in China push back against the ‘pink tax’
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Women in the world’s second-largest economy are sharing their experiences of rejecting higher prices for products that are aimed at them.
Li Yi prefers to buy products in pink when possible — she just likes the color.
But she held back recently when she went to buy a pair of dumbbells in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, as the pink ones were 90 yuan ($12.50) compared with 40 yuan ($5.60) for the regular black ones.
Li is not the only woman in China, the world’s second-largest economy, who has noticed that goods and services marketed to women often come with higher prices. The country’s feminists refer to the phenomenon as the “pink tax,” a term that originated in the United States and is becoming increasingly well known in China.
The hashtag #PinkTax has attracted millions of views on Chinese social platforms, where women share their experiences of rejecting higher prices. The issue has come up again amid a major annual online shopping event in China known as Singles Day, or Double 11, which ends Nov. 11.
“I feel that buying pink means voluntarily being treated differently by gender,” said Li, a 22-year-old college student. “I can’t give up my preference, while I don’t want to pay more for the premium.”
Li Yi prefers to buy products in pink when possible — she just likes the color.
But she held back recently when she went to buy a pair of dumbbells in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, as the pink ones were 90 yuan ($12.50) compared with 40 yuan ($5.60) for the regular black ones.
Li is not the only woman in China, the world’s second-largest economy, who has noticed that goods and services marketed to women often come with higher prices. The country’s feminists refer to the phenomenon as the “pink tax,” a term that originated in the United States and is becoming increasingly well known in China.
The hashtag #PinkTax has attracted millions of views on Chinese social platforms, where women share their experiences of rejecting higher prices. The issue has come up again amid a major annual online shopping event in China known as Singles Day, or Double 11, which ends Nov. 11.
“I feel that buying pink means voluntarily being treated differently by gender,” said Li, a 22-year-old college student. “I can’t give up my preference, while I don’t want to pay more for the premium.”
Feminist consumers in China push back against the ‘pink tax’
Posted from nbcnews.com
Gender
Taxes
China
Economics
Posted 6 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Awakening feminist consciousness
Opponents of unequal pricing in China discuss potential strategies in a group called “Pink Tax Resisters Alliance” on Douban, the country’s equivalent of Reddit and IMDb. Established in 2020, the group has grown to almost 30,000 members.
“Women define feminine,” one group member wrote. “Not feminine defines women.”
China’s feminist movement has grown stronger as more women enter the workforce — the number of women employed in urban China has increased almost 40% in the last 10 years.
But even as feminism ascends, the Chinese government is embracing a more traditional stance, driven in part by concerns about the country’s record-low birthrate. Last month, President Xi Jinping told the All-China Women’s Federation that women played a crucial role in society and must start a “new trend of family.”
The “pink tax” pushback coincides with the slower-than-expected recovery of China’s economy since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted late last year, which has made consumers “more considerate about expenditures than ever,” Qian said.
The urban unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 hit a record 21.3% in June before Chinese officials said they would stop publishing the data.
Some women say they already bear additional costs stemming from deeply rooted gender biases in China, where, as in so many societies, “females are more likely to be judged by appearance,” said Sun Xin, a senior lecturer in Chinese and East Asian business at King’s College London.
As a result, products like cosmetics can become “almost necessities” for women, leading them to have less price sensitivity and feel compelled to spend more on them, he said.
“I have to wear makeup when I go out for formal dinners, especially when there are older men present. Otherwise they will think I don’t respect them,” said Chen Haiyu, a supermarket supplier in her 40s from the coastal city of Qingdao. “Makeup is a necessity for me, even though I think it is expensive and damages my skin.”...
..."Awakening feminist consciousness
Opponents of unequal pricing in China discuss potential strategies in a group called “Pink Tax Resisters Alliance” on Douban, the country’s equivalent of Reddit and IMDb. Established in 2020, the group has grown to almost 30,000 members.
“Women define feminine,” one group member wrote. “Not feminine defines women.”
China’s feminist movement has grown stronger as more women enter the workforce — the number of women employed in urban China has increased almost 40% in the last 10 years.
But even as feminism ascends, the Chinese government is embracing a more traditional stance, driven in part by concerns about the country’s record-low birthrate. Last month, President Xi Jinping told the All-China Women’s Federation that women played a crucial role in society and must start a “new trend of family.”
The “pink tax” pushback coincides with the slower-than-expected recovery of China’s economy since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted late last year, which has made consumers “more considerate about expenditures than ever,” Qian said.
The urban unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 hit a record 21.3% in June before Chinese officials said they would stop publishing the data.
Some women say they already bear additional costs stemming from deeply rooted gender biases in China, where, as in so many societies, “females are more likely to be judged by appearance,” said Sun Xin, a senior lecturer in Chinese and East Asian business at King’s College London.
As a result, products like cosmetics can become “almost necessities” for women, leading them to have less price sensitivity and feel compelled to spend more on them, he said.
“I have to wear makeup when I go out for formal dinners, especially when there are older men present. Otherwise they will think I don’t respect them,” said Chen Haiyu, a supermarket supplier in her 40s from the coastal city of Qingdao. “Makeup is a necessity for me, even though I think it is expensive and damages my skin.”...
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Is it really different here with products targeting females for higher prices? No. Just look at clothing and you can see that!
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