This Is How Much It Costs To Be A Woman

As a woman, most of us know how keeping our hygiene can get expensive. Between hair products, tampons, makeup, razors, the different types of skincare products — the list can go on — the price of being a woman can add up.

A walk into the drugstore to pick up a few necessities can end up in a pricey trip, even when you’re just dealing with the bare essentials.

To make matters worse, women’s products are marked up higher than men’s products, even if there isn’t a difference in quality or quantity. Talk about unfair!

But exactly how much more money does it cost to be a woman? A recent video from Glamour set out to compare what exactly it costs to be a woman per year compared to what it costs to be a man. Their results: $2,689 each year for women compared to $1,087 for men.

Although the video included some products that not every woman might use, it gives us a good idea of the drastic difference in cost that women face.

The results of the video are intriguing (or should I say scary?) and not all that surprising, but it may make you think twice about what is expected of women.

Here are some of the highlights.

• Products that function the same for men and women cost more for women. One of the first examples in the video: deodorant. A woman’s deodorant costs $5.99, while a male version costs only $3.29.
• Tampons alone costs almost $100 per year, and that’s an expensive men never have to deal with. Lucky them!
• Women require a lot of little necessities. You may not think about it, but cotton balls, bobby pins, and makeup brushes can add up over time.
• Makeup is expensive. $50 foundation? $36 concealer? Cut us a break here.
• Women are expected to take care of themselves more than men. The video highlights tons of products from hair dryers to curling irons to primers and eyeshadows, and it reflects society’s pressures for women to stay in tip-top shape.

Although the video may not be completely accurate (I don’t know about you, but I’m sure not spending over $500 dollars on a designer leather jacket each year), it showcases the vast differences in expenses when it comes to taking care of yourself as a woman.

Despite all of these costs, there’s still a significant wage gap, and Glamour definitely made a point of highlighting this income inequality.