Parents are paying more for girls’ clothing and accessories on the High Street – with some items costing up to a third more than near-identical products aimed at boys.
A study by Channel Mums has found that a gender price gap can be found at many High Street stores – including Asda, Marks and Spencer and Argos.
Examples include a blue and green boys’ jacket from George at Asda that costs £8 to £9 for one to six year-olds, which rises to £10 to £12 for a pink girls’ jacket – an increase of 33 per cent.
Meanwhile, a pack of boys’ briefs in Marks and Spencer will set parents back £4 to £7, while the same number of girls’ briefs will cost £6 to £8.
Parents are paying more for girls’ clothes compared to boys’ clothes, according to a new study. A boys’ jacket at Asda costs £8, while a near-identical jacket for girls costs £10 (pictured)
The research was carried out by parenting site ChannelMum ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.
It is not just clothes where a gender price gap appears to exist, with a pair of blue roller skates in Argos costing £7.99, with a pink pair rising to £10.99, equating to around 37 per cent more.
However, girls’ products aren’t always paying more, with a pair of white skinny jeans from River Island priced at £20 for boys but just £16 for girls, a 25 per cent increase.
A survey to accompany the price study found that two thirds of parents have noticed a gender price gap on clothing, starting from the age of 12 months.
A pack of boys’ briefs from Marks & Spencer will set parents back £4 to £7, while the same number of girls’ briefs will cost £6 to £8
It’s not just clothes affected, with a pair of boys’ roller skates at Argos costing £7.99. A near-identical pink pair for girls costs £10.99
Nearly 60 per cent of parents believe they have to pay more for accessories aimed at young girls, while 52 per cent believe the cost of a girl’s coat is often higher than one for a boy.
T-shirts and tops, nightwear and underwear were also among the items of clothing parents believe are priced higher for girls.
By contrast, parents believe that boys are charged more for shoes and jeans.
According to the research, girls’ items were priced at 21 per cent higher than the equivalent item for boys on average.
In comparison, the items aimed at boys that cost more were on average 13.5 per cent more expensive than the equivalent girls’ items.
Previous studies have shown adult women are regularly charged more for items ranging from razors to dry cleaning in a move called the ‘pink tax’ – with the same average price gap of 21 per cent as female toddlers and young girls.
MPs have debated clamping down on the practice for adults and now a huge 97 per cent of the 1,156 parents polled by ChannelMum.com want gender-based pricing for children’s items stamped out too.
Fifty-five per cent are calling for it to be made illegal, while 42 per cent back a voluntary code of conduct for retailers and manufacturers.
Almost three in five believe gender pricing is simply a ‘rip off’ by retailers designed to hit parents, with 55 per cent claiming stores believe parents will pay more for girls’ items.
A further 56 per cent believe retailers make it difficult to compare prices by dividing items into ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ sections, with 37 per cent saying they would back moves to make all kids’ items ‘gender-neutral’.
A boys’ slogan T-shirt at Matalan costs £3.50 – £4.50, compared to a girls’ one costing £4 – £5
Meanwhile, some items appear to cost more for boys. A pair of Clarks shoes costs £28 for boys and £26 for girls
As a result, a third of mums and dads are shunning stores which use gender-based pricing and 22 per cent have ‘named and shamed’ firms using gender-based pricing on social media.
However, 15 per cent also believe stores are beginning to end gender-pricing discrimination as parents are becoming wise to the practice.
Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com, said: ‘Treating baby girls as a commodity to be exploited aged just 12 months old is terrible.
‘The so-called ‘pink tax’ is bad enough for adult women but a pink tax for tots is just plain wrong.
‘There’s simply no justification for charging more based on gender. An item which is the same or similar should have the same or a similar price tag, regardless of which gender wears or uses it.
‘Luckily parents are becoming more and more aware of the practise which should mean more firms becoming reluctant to do it.’
A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer said the child’s pants aren’t comparable because they aren’t like-for-like products.
River Island said the £4 price difference between ‘white ripped skinny jeans’ is because the boys’ pair comes with a keyring.
Asda denied its pricing is based on gender, with a spokesperson explaining: ‘Parents know they can trust us to offer a great range of kids clothing at amazing prices.
‘The price of our clothing is influenced by many factors, but never by gender.’
Argos said its roller skates were not gendered at all. A spokesperson explained: ‘They’re not boys or girls products they are simply different colours.
‘Customers will notice price differences in different products. These are for different reasons. This could be a range of different factors.
‘The particular items were stock clearance items.’
Clarks stated that the two shoes were not a ‘like-for-like’ comparison.
Matalan has not yet responded to a request for comment.
What is the pink tax?
Research from last year revealed that British women were still being charged more for their toiletries than men.
A basic pre-holiday shop at a high street chemist for items like razors, deodorant and shampoo set female customers back 21 per cent more than men on average.
The survey compared prices at Boots, although many other retailers have been previously criticised on this issue.
The products compared in the study included two Gilette shave gels – women’s Pure and Delicate at £3.55 for 200ml, and Fusion ProGlide at £2.49 for 250ml – and a Nivea women’s anti-perspirant that costs £2.50 compared to a similar men’s aerosol at £2.
A spokesperson for Boots claimed at the time that such products ‘are not the same based on ingredient, formulation and use, so can’t be compared on price.’
Here are some of the other products that featured a gender price gap…
This pack of women’s razors (left) was £2.69 at Boots – the mens’ pack (right) cost just £1.45, despite the fact it contained two more razors
The basic NIVEA Double Effect Womens Anti-Perspirant cost £2.50, while the NIVEA MEN Sensitive Protect 48h Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Spray cost £2, according to the research conducted last year
Gillette Satin Care Pure & Delicate Shaving Gel 200ml for women cost £3.55 at the time of the survey, while Gillette Fusion Proglide Sensitive Active Sport Shaving Foam 250ml for men cost £2.49