Abstract

Gendered pricing—commonly referred to as the “Pink Tax”—produces systematic price disparities between products marketed toward women and those marketed toward men. While individual price differences may appear small, they accumulate over time and intersect with the gender wage gap, creating a substantial economic burden for women, particularly for working-class and marginalized groups.

This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative econometric analysis of retail pricing data with qualitative comparative case studies of state-level legislative responses. The quantitative findings demonstrate that products marketed toward women are priced, on average, approximately 30–35 percent higher than comparable products marketed toward men, even after controlling for product characteristics, retailer effects, and unit standardization. These disparities are most pronounced in personal care and hygiene categories, where price premiums function as recurring, consumption-based burdens.

The qualitative analysis reveals that political responses to these disparities are conditional rather than automatic. States with higher levels of women’s descriptive representation and active legislative entrepreneurship were more likely to introduce and advance Pink Tax reforms, but institutional context—such as partisan control, fiscal constraints, and committee gatekeeping—moderated policy outcomes. Cases such as Ohio, Michigan, and California illustrate that successful reform depended on strategic framing, coalition-building, and alignment with broader public health or affordability agendas.

Together, these findings demonstrate that gendered pricing is both economically measurable and politically contingent. The Pink Tax persists not because evidence is lacking, but because democratic responsiveness depends on representation, institutional opportunity, and strategic political action. These results contribute to broader debates about market neutrality, structural inequality, and the limits of democratic accountability in addressing everyday economic burdens.

Advisor

Kim, Sekwen

Department

Political Science

Keywords

Pink Tax; Gender and Public Policy; Working-Class Representation; Legislative Success; Democratic Responsiveness

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2026 Kathleen R. Williams