Pink predation- analyzing perception of pink tax among youth consumers in India

Abstract

Blue for men, pink for women, as the cliché goes. Social norms permeate our lives. Not only do they dictate what colours are representative of which gender, but they also insinuate how the prices of the same or similar products should differ by gender. This essentially constitutes the pink tax. It can be defined as a practice of charging an extra amount for services and mostly products marketed to women which are similar or equal in benefit to men. This practice is particularly evident in personal care products, toys, clothes, health care products, haircuts, etc. Many are unaware or uneducated regarding the reasoning and persistence of this tax within society; therefore, it is branded as a ‘hidden’ tax. Several countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Canada are progressive in analyzing this issue. However, the pink tax is not yet explored to a reasonable extent in India. This study explores the extent of awareness, driving factors, and overall perception of the Indian youth on pink tax caused by pink marketing. A qualitative descriptive research design has been employed to conduct this study. Thematic analysis reveals the awareness of pink tax in respondents but only to the extent of definition and practice as observed in different products. Further, several products in the same category with similar functional utility along with additional features are used in the experiment to analyze the differences in willingness to pay basis the perceived benefits for men and women.