Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.
Gender-based pricing, also known as “pink tax,” is an upcharge on products traditionally intended for women which have only cosmetic differences from comparable products traditionally intended for men. In other words, it’s not actually a tax. It’s an “income-generating scenario for private companies who found a way to make their product look either more directed to or more appropriate for the population and saw that as a moneymaker,” explains Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a lawyer, vice president for the Brennan School of Justice at NYU School of Law, and co-founder of Period Equity
Yet pink tax is not a new phenomenon. The issue was delineated more finely in 2015 when the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs released a report about price disparities for 794 comparable products from 91 brands sold throughout the city. The report examined five different industries, such as personal care products or senior/home healthcare products. These encompassed 35 product categories, such as bodywash or shampoo. In every single of those five industries, consumer goods marketed to women and girls cost more. The same was the case in all but five of the 35 product categories. Researchers looked at 106 products in the toys and accessories category and found that, on average, those intended for girls were priced 7 percent higher.
NYC’s report found women faced an average price difference of 13 percent for personal care products among the 122 products compared in the study. And the authors aptly noted that these items, such as shaving gel and deodorant, are the ones purchased most frequently compared with other categories — meaning that the ____________ add up over time. While this is unfair for all those shopping for these products, that 13 percent price increase hits women and girls who come from lower income households even harder. Legislative attempts, however, could correct the pink tax. In 1995, then-Assemblywoman Jackie Speier successfully passed a bill that forbade gender pricing of services, such as haircuts.
What is the consequence of gender-based pricing on consumers, particularly women?
Correct Answer :
Price differences can worsen economic inequality, especially for women in lower-income households.
Solution :
Correct Option: Price differences can worsen economic inequality, especially for women in lower-income households.
Step-by-step Explanation:
1. Analyze the Question:
The question asks about the consequence of gender-based pricing (also known as the "pink tax") on consumers, particularly women, based on the provided text.
2. Examine the Text for Clues:
In the third paragraph of the text, it explicitly mentions:
"While this is unfair for all those shopping for these products, that 13 percent price increase hits women and girls who come from lower income households even harder."
3. Evaluate the Options:
- Option 1: "Businesses can generate increased profits, leading to the advancement and progress of society." -> Incorrect. The text notes increased income for private companies, but does not claim it leads to the advancement/progress of society.
- Option 2: "Continuing an unjust pricing approach might foster a sense of superiority among men." -> Incorrect. Fostering a sense of superiority among men is not mentioned in the passage.
- Option 3: "Price differences can worsen economic inequality, especially for women in lower-income households." -> Correct. This directly aligns with the paragraph stating that higher prices impact women and girls from lower-income households even harder, exacerbating financial burdens and economic inequality.
- Option 4: "Due to the lower prices of men's products, it may be assumed that the quality is also inferior." -> Incorrect. No mention is made regarding assumptions about lower quality of men's products.
Conclusion:
Thus, the correct choice is that price differences worsen economic inequality, particularly impacting women in lower-income households.
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