Why is it more expensive to be a woman?

[Felix]

Marketplace Money for Friday, April 13, 2012
Interview by Tess Vigeland
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/life/why-it-more-expensive-be-woman

Sociologist Megan Duesterhaus co-authored the paper "The Cost of Doing Femininity." She says that these price differences are much more complex. There are some legitimate reasons that women do pay more than men for goods and services -- for example, shirts with embellishments may be more expensive to dry clean than a plain buttondown.

...However, she says that "essentialist thinking" helps push the idea that men and women are entirely different so they need to have separate products, which may have different prices. There are certainly many goods that are unisex, such as toothpaste. But, companies exploit essential thinking by trying to devise ways to push separate products to men and women.

[AbraCadabra]

Apart from what has been said, my female wardrobe is at least about 3 - 4 times the comparable male size. As far as shoes go... 10 times! Heels, boots, flats, sandals, etc.

If we have, like myself, 2 - 3 cloth changes during the day... ?
Plus, plus, plus, and what also does not help, it is now quite chilly during the morning, yet getting still quite hot during the day... a bit like SF or southern CA weather.

So what can a girl do?
Guys just wear the same shoes, just put on a cardigan, take it off... put it back on again. Jolly good show Felix, um.

I'm not complaining though, it's just how it is, including some of the "extras" for hygiene, yes?

Axélle

[Felix]

Lolya I wear the same shirt for days and now that I wear underwear I pretty much don't change my jeans ever. 

[AbraCadabra]

"Lolya"? Ah.... a new one as yet?

A xxx

[Felix]

"Lolya"? Ah.... a new one as yet?

A xxx

I'm not sure if other people say lolya, but I just meant haha yes.

[Renee D]

I tend to buy more clothes now, but still not as much as many women do. I try not to wear the same thing too often as well. I don't spend too much on makeup and jewelry either. I just basically get enough to get by on. Anything else just seems like a waste. Before I transitioned, my wardrobe was generally just a few pairs of jeans and a bunch of tshirts.

[Keaira]

Before transition, I almost always wore this:


After, I almost always wore this:


The only expense increase on me was replacing male clothes that I never got to wear with female clothing that I never get to wear and make-up. So my clothing stays newer for longer because I never get to wear anything but my uniform and that saves on laundry expenses. As an added bonus of being a slave to Valeo, they wash/repair/replace my uniforms for free, this cutting down on that expense. In fact, Valeo gave me 5 new Uniform T-shirts today that I will stick with the previous 5 valeo T-shirts I was given in October of last year which hang with the other 5 T-shirts from before those were issued to me....

See where this is going? My wardrobe is going to be blue with"Valeo Sylvania" in green and nothing but that, if I stay there for another 5 years.

So, by comparison to what the average woman has in her closet, I"M CHEAP!!

[Cindy]

I've been having a clean up I have one pair of male shoes and one pair of male trousers and one male jacket, basically my wedding, funeral or job interview clothes. I have one pair of male jeans and two shirts.


I have 35 pairs of female shoes, boots, etc. I have one wardrobe full of skirts, female jeans, I have a second wardrobe full of tops.

I have given up wearing male clothing to work, I can never find any

[justmeinoz]

James May put it pretty succinctly on his "Man Lab" TV show.  A man basically needs a couple of pairs of jeans or casual trousers, a few shirts or T-shirts, a pair of runners, and a pair of dress shoes and a suit for his funeral. Job done!
I never had a lot more than that when I was in bloke mode, unless I received it for Christmas.

Now I have about ten times more. Because I like variety.  I have 5 different denim skirts for starters, and nearly a dozen in other materials.  I Op Shop so I don't have to spend a lot either.  If I do spend big bucks it will be on a long lasting  item that will be wearable for years. Leather jackets and coats can last 20 years or more if treated with a little care.  Style never goes out of fashion.
I always buy new when it comes to footwear though.  I try and buy good quality boots and shoes so I can have them soled and heeled, rather than replace them.

"A rich woman pays once, a poor woman pays many times."

Karen.

[AbraCadabra]

Easy peacy... 'cause diamonds are a girl's best friend my Dear

Axélle

[JoanneB]

Lolya I wear the same shirt for days and now that I wear underwear I pretty much don't change my jeans ever. 

Sounds a lot like me in guy mode!

Mathematically, what I spend on clothes now is easily 10,000% more. Even at $3 thrift store prices. How is that for more expensive 

[AbraCadabra]

'cause every time you get pissed-off you gotta have some retail-therapy! That's WHY

Axélle

[peky]

Not to mention the monthly cost of pedicures, acrylic nails, hair color/cut, and beauty products.

In my work I have to dress up (bussines type) once or twice a week. I see my male colleagues wearing the same 10 years old suite, but I have to have new outfits for every season.

[tekla]

I'd love to see some guy in a 10 year old suite, I'd think that wearing the top-of-the-line Aeron chair all day would get tiring, not to mention the matching desk and credenza weighing one down.