The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: gender

  • No Facts Justify the Pink Tax

    No Facts Justify the Pink Tax

    Businesses capitalize on gender-based price discrimination

    Gender-based price gouging often goes unnoticed, even though it affects the most basic items like clothing, menstrual products and toiletries.

    The pink tax, also known as the tampon tax, refers to women’s products that frequently cost more than equivalent male products. These taxed items aren’t necessarily centered around female hygienic products, but they often target that audience.

    March is dedicated to Women’s History Month, where past actions, sacrifices and challenges advocating for equal rights are respected and celebrated. The pink tax furthers gender discrimination and promotes the patriarchal setup of our society.

    Women pay more for products solely based on the product being used on a female body. This contributes to the suppression of female rights by unrealistically charging women more for the same products.

    The tax allows companies to take advantage of women’s products and manipulate the pricing to further profit. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs conducted a study of the price differences between products which had male and female versions. The study found, on average, women’s products cost 7% more than men’s products.

    There are only five states which don’t tack on an additional tax for any women’s products—Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.

    Research shows the female version of products like razors, clothes, shaving cream, facial cleanser and even children’s toys cost more on average than their nearly identical male counterpart products.

    Take a trip to the Target website and you can see the pink tax in action. A quick browse of Target brand razors will show the different pricing for men and women. A four-pack of women’s razors costs $2.99, while an eight-pack of men’s razors costs $4.89. That’s about 75 cents per women’s razor and about 60 cents per men’s razor.

    Pink taxes still exist in 35 states in the United States. There are only five states which don’t tack on an additional tax for any women’s products—Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.

    Both New York and California look to join the five states of pink tax exemption by eliminating gender-based pricing discrimination. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York is leading a campaign against the pink tax with a budget plan to remove all gender-based pricing. California State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson motioned for the same action and argued for the removal of the tax through a demonstration provided in a press conference. Jackson placed two basically identical soccer balls on a table, one with a pink stripe priced at $8.99 and the other with a blue stripe priced at $6.99. Jackson showed gender-based pricing to be simply ludicrous.

    As of June 2019, 13 states made female hygiene products tax exempt, including Utah, Ohio, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

    The essence of the pink tax is to further discriminate by gender and sexuality to create immense profit off of the subtle product differences. This makes money for corporate manufacturers and hinders the progression of gender equality.

    To participate in the pink tax revolution and help the gender equality cause, we advocate boycotting products that target women or supporting companies who fight against gender-based pricing. We encourage people to purchase from companies that don’t produce gender-specific products. Collectively, this allows us to retaliate against the existence of the pink tax in the first place.

  • Dr. Cornel West Headlines Black Liberation Month at HSU

    Dr. Cornel West Headlines Black Liberation Month at HSU

    Philosopher, activist and intellectual Dr. Cornel West visiting Humboldt State University

    Dr. Cornel West will be at Humboldt State University Friday, Feb. 7 to celebrate Black Liberation Month as the keynote speaker of a series of events.

    West advocates for race, gender and class equality. West’s social and political activism goes back to his days at John F. Kennedy high school where he marched for civil rights and protested against the lack of diversity and black studies classes offered at the school.

    West went on to become class president of his high school before attending both Harvard and Princeton Universities. He is known for infusing the world with academic inference, intelligence and philosophical reflection.

    The event is hosted by HSU’s African American Center for Academic Excellence and HSU Brothers United.

    West’s lecture will focus on topics from his 1993 book, “Race Matters.” Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room.

    The first 100 students through the door with an ID will receive a free copy of “Race Matters.” Additional copies can be found at Northtown Books at 947 H St. in Arcata.

    Tickets are free and available at the University Center Ticket Office at HSU, which can be reached at (707) 826-3928.

  • Act like a man

    Act like a man

    Reinforcing negative gender roles
    by|Domanique Crawford


    During Women’s History Month, there always seems to be a resurgence of  phrases circulating that hold the theme “act like a man.” These phrases express that woman should work to be more aggressive and rude rather than their usual sweet selves. These type of quotes are a disservice to both man and women.
    This kind of quote reinforces typical stereotypes facing males and females. That women are not as smart and as strong as men, that we are emotional homebodies. For men, these quotes install the idea that they always have to be in charge and always need to maintain strict control of their emotions.
    One of the popular quotes circulating the web is “look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a boss.” I have no idea when this quote started popping up. However, when I first read it, it instantly made me angry. One of those moments when blood rushes to your eyes and your heart starts beating to such dizzying speeds that if you don’t calm down, you are likely to pass out. It took me a while to dissect every single reason this particular phrase irritated me. 
    I’m not even going to touch on the little girl remark because the heart attack would be imminent. As to the rest, act how you want to act and think for yourself. If someone hates you for it, then they are not worth your time. These type of negative comparisons reinforce the idea that you have to adhere to certain gender roles and ultimately defeats the point such phrases are trying to inspire; to encourage women to feel free to be themselves no matter the judgment we face. 
    Each decade, women seem to do more and more to become more “manly”. Back in the day, the focus was on obtaining the status man held not conforming or adhering to specific gender roles. For the generations of women, this meant different things. In the 1920’s, women worked for the right to vote. In WWII, women were sent to work in factories. Shortly after this time, women allowed to be enlisted personnel in the military and never have we, in any of these situations, allowed ourselves to be seen as anything other than women.
    Women changed how the world looks at work relations, family relations, reproductive rights, and human rights. Women have brought about stability in a world that seems to be forever changing. We should celebrate our past and present achievements and not get caught up in false equivalencies that are counterintuitive to our goals.