It's no secret that prices for many things are higher in the capital. Most people are no longer surprised by this, but not everyone is willing to overpay because of it. That’s why Julia Pankiewicz decided to visit a hair salon outside of Warsaw. She booked her appointment through a popular platform, but the price of the service changed once the hairdresser realized she was a woman. Pankiewicz shared the whole story on her profile on X (formerly Twitter).
How much do you pay for a haircut? The price depends not only on the style but also... on gender
Julia Pankiewicz is a doctor, psychiatry resident, and a member of the Committee on Counteracting Mobbing and Discrimination. On X, she shares various stories from both her professional and personal life. This time, it was about her visit to the hairdresser. Since Pankiewicz wears her hair short, she booked a men's haircut.
I had an appointment at 5 PM for a men's haircut through Booksy. The lady looks at me and says, 'But women pay 90 zł.' So I replied, 'But I have a men's (in the conservative sense) haircut. Do I have to pay extra for my gender?'
The post ends with a note that she eventually paid 60 zł, and the added emoji suggests that it was indeed the "men's rate". This situation isn’t an isolated incident and sparked considerable interest among internet users. What’s more, women encounter similar pricing differences not just at the hairdresser. This phenomenon is known as the Pink Tax. But what exactly is it?
What is the Pink Tax? Women often pay more for these products and services
The Pink Tax isn't an official surcharge, but it's a practice applied by various manufacturers often enough that it has earned this unofficial name. Essentially, the same products have different prices and usually different packaging, simply because they are targeted at women or men. The former group typically pays more, thus facing discrimination.
Manufacturers assume that women are more willing to pay more for certain products or services than men
- explains marketing expert Martin Fassnacht from WHU business school, as quoted by Deutsche Welle. According to the portal, this most commonly affects cosmetics, clothing, and various services, including haircuts. Since 2015, the Consumer Advice Center in Hamburg has been monitoring market trends in this area, and data from February 2023 shows that these differences have started to gradually disappear. For example, disposable razors now cost the same for women and men. However, disparities still exist in products like shaving foam and perfumes, indicating that this issue still requires attention.
