Pink Tax & Period Poverty

Pink Tax & Period Poverty

The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of the issues surrounding "pink tax", as well as to initiate a drive for sanitary products to donate to people who menstruate in need.

Upcoming Events/Plans

This project will focus on donating menstrual products specifically to single parents, homeless people, and orphaned children, since they are typically the most in need of these materials.

Organicup - We plan on selling menstrual cups by AllMatters. Menstrual cups, although more expensive at first, have a minimal effect on the environment compared to pads and tampons and are an investment in the long-run, since they are reusable.

The long-term goal of this project is to reduce Pink Tax and ensure that people who menstruate have access to necessary sanitary products and related materials.

With Organicup, we hope to reduce the amount of waste produced by sanitary products and the negative effects they have on the environment.

Information

What is "Pink Tax"?

Pink Taxes are the extra costs that women pay for specific products or services. This is also known as "price discrimination" or "gender pricing".

Examples of Pink Tax (men-products vs women-products):

  • Shampoo - $5.68 vs $8.69

  • Razors: $7.90 vs $8.99

  • Lotion: $7.43 vs $8.25


Tampon Tax

The consumption tax in Japan was raised to 10% in October of 2019. While necessities such as food and groceries stayed at 8%, menstrual products were considered as "non-necessity" and thus its cost increased. (Read more)

This is on top of the economic inequalities that were widened by the COVID-19 pandemic, as women were more likely to lose their jobs.

Launched in October of 2019, this petition to reduce tax rates on menstrual products has gathered over 75,000 signatures.

(If you are unsure of what exactly menstrual products are, here is a comprehensive list of menstrual products you can find in Japan)

(Coco Colwell & Tyler Goldstein, both ASIJ '23, initiated this project in 2021)