It's funny (and disheartening) wandering down the aisles of the supermarket and seeing how razors, shampoo, and any number of hygiene products are marked up that extra bit once they're decked out in pink and pastels - you know, those signifiers that this product is meant for women.
This 'pink tax', in which women's products cost more than men's, has been noticed in adults' items. In fact, one study carried out by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that women in the Big Apple pay 13 percent more for personal care products than men.
Now, parents have spotted the pink tax in the items they're buying for their little ones.
Clothes for girls are priced noticeably higher than those of boys. This price gap based on gender begins at just 12 months, unfortunately.
71 percent of parents have observed this difference in cost, according to research carried out by ChannelMum.com. The research was conducted in the lead up to International Women's Day on Thursday.
52 percent of mums and dads say girls' coats often cost more than boys', and 58 percent believe they have to shell out more for accessories targeted at little girls.
Parents did say, though, that boys' shoes and jeans are usually more expensive than girls'.
Products aimed at girls were, on average, priced 21 percent higher than boys' items. However, when items were more expensive for boys, their prices were just 13.5 percent higher than girls' equivalent products.
Deterred by this price gap, 97 percent of the 1,165 parents polled said that they would like to see gender-based pricing for kids' items eliminated. 55 percent said they would like such pricing to be made illegal.
Mums' and dads' consuming habits are changing because of this pink tax. A third of parents say they now shun stores that price items differently based on gender.
22 percent of parents say they have 'named and shamed' businesses with gender-based price gaps on social media.
ChannelMum.com's founder, Siobhan Freegard, told the Independent of the research's findings: "The so-called ‘pink tax’ is bad enough for adult women but a pink tax for tots is just plain wrong. There’s simply no justification for charging more based on gender."
"An item which is the same or similar should have the same or a similar price tag, regardless of which gender wears or uses it.
"Luckily parents are becoming more and more aware of the practice, which should mean more firms becoming reluctant to do it."
Have you noticed such price gaps when shopping for clothes or toys for your kids?
