I was reading an article about how women typically pay more for products even though they’re often absolutely identical to the male versions. It’s true, I’ve seen it myself, and a lot of people don’t think about it, but they probably should.

I have noticed more times than I can count that women’s products cost more than the male counterparts. Women’s razors, women’s body wash, women’s deodorant, hell, even women’s clothing, costs more than men’s. There’s really no reason for it either. A t-shirt is a T-shirt, so why should one for a woman cost $3 more than one for a man in the same color from the same brand? If two body washes are identical except for the scent, why should a woman pay $2 more? And really, why did my pink Mach 3 razor cost a dollar more than The men’s gray one?

That kind of thing just pisses me off. And I’m not sure what’s worse, the fact that companies screw women into paying more, or the fact that women keep buying into it. More often than not the men’s products are the same, so there’s no need to buy the feminine version. Oddly too, more men’s products come in unscented versions than women’s, so you could buy an odorless men’s version and save money.

It surprises me that there aren’t more people bitching about this to the companies. Instead of that though, they’re buying the stuff and doing just what the companies want. They’re allowing women who tend to earn less due to inequality pay more due to inequality. Something’s not quite right with that picture.

Of course I found the perfect way out of that vicious little cycle. I’m not buying commercial products anymore. I make what I can at home and buy what I can’t from individual sellers online who don’t have a specific gender bias in their pricing or product line. We haven’t gotten crazy enough to have gender differences in baking soda, vinegar or rubbing alcohol yet. Unfortunately, not enough people are willing to step out of what the media and corporations have geared for them just yet. Maybe they will though.

Just as a side note, if you want to give the industry the finger and go natural, I have lots of tips and recipes here on the blog. You can save money and show the corporations that you won’t buy into their unequal bullshit anymore.

Briana Blair

Briana Blair is an author and artisan. She has published more then 30 books and thousands of articles across multiple sites. After practicing Paganism and witchcraft for 25 years, she's now on a journey as an atheist and skeptic. She's eclectic, unpredictable, and always evolving. Facebook - Twitter