Following months of calls to end the 'tampon tax' on sanitary products and sexist pricing on women's consumer goods, British supermarket Tesco has announced it has brought down the price of women's disposable razors to match that of men's.
A newspaper investigation last year found that women were paying an average of 37 per cent more for gender-targeted products, ranging from clothes to beauty products.
Among them, razors were found to have an added premium for women, simply because the product was a different colour – pink.
In a letter to Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities MP Paula Sherriff, Tesco said: 'Following an internal review and discussions with our suppliers, we have acted on concerns about the differences in price of our male and female disposable twin-blade razors.'
The news comes after the supermarket chain came under fire alongside three other leading retailers (Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons) for gender discrimination last year.
The study found Tesco was charging £2 for a five pack of women's twin blade own brand razors while men were charged just £1.
Following the price change, Sherriff – who led a Parliamentary debate on gender pricing last year and put pressure of Tescos to reduce women's disposable razor prices – tweeted:
A Tesco spokesman has since told the BBC: 'We are guided by doing what is right for our customers and by our commitment to offering clear, competitive and transparent pricing.'
Research by the womens' rights group the Fawcett Society in July 2016 – who asked the 'big four' supermarkets to review their pricings – found that 'sexist pricing' for male and female products varied, ranging from 22 per cent more in Asda to 56 per cent more in Morrisons.
As a result, pharmacy and beauty retailer Boots lowered the price of 'feminine' razors down to the same as their male equivalents.
With the UK gender pay gap currently standing at 19.2 per cent — well above the EU average – the eradication of gender pricing on razors is a small but significant step towards parity between the sexes.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
