A creator spoke about pink tax, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw retweeted it. What’s all the fuss?

Sanjay Arora, the managing director of advertising agency Shells was best known as the middle aged guy who would expose the truth behind everything from brands’ success stories, busts advertising myths and shares marketing insights.

Earlier this week, however, Arora found himself going viral. Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw retweeted one of Arora’s Instagram reels in which he spoke up about women being at the receiving end of a phenomenon called ‘pink tax’. “Aren’t we being unfair to the fair sex?” he questioned, elaborating at length with a list of similar products which are priced differently when they are targeted at men and women. Lip balm, razors, roll on deos, H&M plain white cotton tees, all came Arora’s radar as he pointed out that most of these products are charged anywhere between 10 to 50 per cent more when they are customised for women. He then went to point out that even salons charge a 100 per cent premium for haircuts for women, as against haircuts for men. He says that while he has put up a few examples, he has data to show that this ‘unfair’ practice extends to several other products and services.

 

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A post shared by Sanjay Arora (@sanjayarora)

All this, he then explains, when women are paid 14.8 per cent less for working the same job. “Is it because of a male dominated financial system designed to keep women broke?” he questioned. This is ‘pink tax’, he clarified.

What’s pink tax?

The term ‘pink tax’ refers to the phenomenon where products marketed to women are priced higher than identical or similar products marketed to men. This insidious form of gender-based pricing discrimination has long been an issue, yet it continues to persist in various industries, unfairly burdening women with higher costs for essential goods. Pink tax is subtle, not overt. Unethical, but not illegal.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw slams pink tax

Pharma major Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw took to X to share a video about ‘pink tax’, retweeting Arora’s video. “Pink Tax! A shameful gender bias that women must respond to by shunning such products,” wrote Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on X.

Pink Tax! A shameful gender bias that women must respond to by shunning such products! pic.twitter.com/U3ZQm2s7W9

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 12, 2024

Shaw’s retweet set off an avalanche of comments on the social media platform, with many agreeing on the vile side effects of the ‘pink tax’.
Arora’s clip has since garnered over 60,000 views and 13,000 likes on Instagram, with people posting various comments and reactions.

Just a few days earlier, Arora had posted another reel that questioned ‘Are we being scammed in the name of International Women’s Day?’ His reel spoke about the marketing hype that surrounds such ‘days’, and names brands as the only winners of such hype.

 

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A post shared by Sanjay Arora (@sanjayarora)

He then elaborated on the origins of International Women’s Day, which started as a day to honour a strike by garment workers. It was in 1910 that Clara Zeltkin first tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day, and it was decades later in 1975, that the UN made it official. “Now, our social media feeds go pink and purple for a week before the day, which is nothing but a marketing scam,” he pointed out.

How Can Pink Tax Be Tackled

Combating the pink tax demands joint action from policymakers and businesses. Governments should pass laws banning gender-based price discrimination and enforcing pricing transparency. Simultaneously, businesses need to review their pricing strategies to eradicate any gender bias. Ultimately, addressing the pink tax isn’t solely about fair pricing; it’s about advancing gender equality and challenging societal norms that foster discrimination. It’s advocating for women’s rights and their rightful economic standing.

FAQs

Who is Sanjay Arora?

Sanjay Arora, founder and managing director of ad agency Shells, is also a TedEx speaker and a yoga coach. He regularly posts reels busting marketing myths, educating people on brands and talking about his own experiences in the field. He goes by chiefsanjay on X.