New Jersey Bill To Ban ‘Pink Tax’ On Women Passes Senate

NEW JERSEY — An effort to ban the so-called “Pink Tax” on products marketed towards women unanimously passed the New Jersey Senate on Wednesday.

According to a statement from its sponsors, the “Prohibition Against Gender-Based Pricing Discrimination Act” would halt gender-based discrimination when it comes to product pricing. Businesses would be banned from charging different prices for any two consumer products or services that are “substantially similar” based on the gender they’re marketed towards.

The bill wouldn’t prohibit price differences on the basis of labor, materials, tariffs or any other gender-neutral reason.

“By a woman’s 50th birthday, she will have spent an average of $69,132 more for the same goods and services than her male counterpart, solely as the result of her gender,” said Sen. Nia Gill of district 34, who represents Clifton, East Orange, Montclair and Orange.

“Gender should have no role in how much we pay for our goods and services,” Gill emphasized.

Items that would be covered under the bill include beauty products such as shampoo or conditioner – a good example of why the law is needed, according to Sen. Nellie Pou of the 35th district (Bergen, Passaic counties).

“Data has shown that 42 percent of the time, women pay more than they should be on products, with hair care having the most drastic difference due to women paying, on average, an additional $2.71 per each set of shampoo and conditioner,” Pou said.

“That is simply not fair,” the senator added. “There is no reason for individuals who identify as female to pay more for goods just because they have pink packaging or other superficial differences.”

If the bill becomes law, all New Jersey businesses – including tailors, barbers, hair salons, dry cleaners and laundromats – will be required to clearly disclose the pricing for each of their standard services.

The bill would take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment. Read the full text of S-2039 here.

“The ‘Pink Tax’ is not only unfair, but it promotes gender discrimination by forcing those who identify as female to pay more for products that are often indistinguishable from the same goods marketed towards men,” said Sen. Linda Greenstein of the 14th district (Middlesex, Mercer counties), another sponsor of the bill.

“As a society, we have taken great strides in recent years to close the gap between genders, focusing on ways we can make the world a more equal place,” Greenstein said. “As long as the pink tax is still in existence, achieving gender equality will simply not be feasible.”

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