So many times, men and women alike have joked about the idea that being a woman is expensive. Although those jokes are usually based on generalized stereotypes that exaggerate the amount of money that women willingly spend on services for their nails, hair, make-up and their shoes, and clothing. Rarely is a joke completely devoid of even the smallest amount of truth. It definitely can be expensive to be of the female gender but seldom does society dive beyond the surface to explore a more sinister reason for the added expense.
Who would have ever thought that you could incur a monthly charge for simply being a woman? The majority of women start their periods between 10 – 15 years of age and will continue to menstruate until menopause which can occur anywhere from 40 – 51 years of age (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020). As mentioned by Sadlier, girls and women are forced to buy feminine hygiene products for period protection spending approximately $13.25 each month and $6,360 in an average woman’s reproductive lifetime (www.swnsdigital.com) which gives rise to the term Tampon Tax. Imagine being taxed at the same rate as other luxury items for something that should be categorized as a necessity as these products are not optional for women who menstruate.
When the word luxury comes to mind, immediately thoughts of desires and amenities rush to the forefront not the needs and must haves. It’s quite appalling that feminine hygiene products were ever considered a luxury item and taxed in a way that generated an estimated $150 million a year on sales tax alone. According to Mosley & McMahon, it is this newfound awareness that makes you question whether or not tampon tax is constitutional and exposes the lack of concern for women’s wellbeing. When 1 in 4 females are struggling to pay for sanitary products it may be time to consider reducing the cost of these products by eliminating the sales tax (wbur.org).
In 2019, the Tax Free. Period Campaign launched a revolutionary argument stating, “Since the tampon tax only applies to people who menstruate, it is not just unfair, it’s also a form of sex based discrimination” (taxfreeperiod.com). Since then pro bono attorneys and law students from around the country have come together to effect change for women all over. Change is slowly unfolding as many states are adopting menstrual equity by reducing and eliminating the tampon tax. However, there is still work to be done as there are 30 states that are still forcing women to pay luxury tax on essential feminine products.
In time, I have faith that the other states will come around because nothing can remain the same forever. The situation we are in now did not happen overnight and in order to forge a new path time will be required. Women have been working to change their circumstances from the birth of our existence and just like we made it thus far, I know women will stand triumph peering back at this issue from a place of progress. Although it’s painful, the truth is that it is expensive to be a woman but not only for the stereotypical reasons that give life to comedy. It’s expensive monetarily, mentally, and emotionally because society knows that women are being subjected to sex based discrimination but are slow to act as all 50 states have yet to eliminate the tampon tax even though many agree that is immoral and women have to live with it until change arrives.
References
New research reveals how much the average woman spends per month on menstrual products
https://mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/10/18/sales-tax-menstrual-products