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MPP Introduces Bill To Ban Gender-Based Pricing

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I'd support this in a heartbeat if this also meant that they couldn't overcharge men for car insurance. I'd be happy to swallow a couple bucks more for a haircut in exchange for a couple grand less on insurance.

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By ALLISON DUNFIELD

Tuesday, March 15, 2005 Updated at 6:44 PM EST

Globe and Mail Update

An Ontario politician is trying to change what he feels are unfairly high prices paid by women for hairdressing, dry cleaning and clothing.

Lorenzo Berardinetti, a backbench MPP for the governing Liberal party, has introduced a private members' bill in the Ontario legislature that, if passed, would mean men and women would pay more similar prices for these types of goods and services.

He said he feels the current situation, which means women often pay far higher prices for things like hair cuts, is unfair.

â€ÂMy wife brought it to my attention, and we noticed it when we went to the dry cleaners and ... when we went out to buy some clothing it made a big difference as well.â€Â

Bill 182, which had its first reading in the legislature on March 9, is up for debate on April 14.

Mr. Berardinetti said he's fairly confident the bill will pass, although it is a private members' bill. (Private members' bills rarely become law).

"I am [hopeful]." If enacted, the law would mean if people thought they were being unfairly targeted for these services because of their gender, they would be able to file a complaint to the Human Rights Commission under the Human Rights code and in the Superior Court of Justice, Mr. Berardinetti said.

The bill also says those who are found guilty of breaking the law, if convicted, would be liable to a fine of $2,000 for a first offence and up to $5,000 for a subsequent offence.

Mr. Berardinetti said he's looked at other jurisdictions, such as in California, which has already enacted a similar law in 1996. Another state, Massachusetts, has the Public Accommodations Act, which ensures fair gender-based pricing for hair and other cosmetology services.

A 1994 study by the California Assembly Office of Research looked at five major cities in that state. It found that 40 per cent of hairdressing salons charged women more for a hair cut than men. It also found that 64 per cent of drycleaners charged more to clean a woman's shirt than a man's shirt.

Similar surveys with similar results have been conducted in New York City and Washington, D.C.
© Copyright 2005 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 
So no more "ladies! no cover!" at the clubs? :lol

Doesn't this ass have anything better to do than bring in legislation because his wife complains about something? Talk about whipped.
 
Given the title of the article, "Why do women always pay more?" I doubt it will be too focused on those occasions where men pay more.
 
Men pay a lot more for car insurance. I'm eager to see those rates go down.
 
Men pay a lot more for car insurance. I'm eager to see those rates go down.

Not necessarily. If anything, women's rates will go up to match those of men.
 
What is the price difference between women and men at First Choice Haircutters?
 
If they pass this I get the feeling there's going to be a lot of women with bad haircuts walking around (or they'll just willingly pay more, tax-free, under the table).
 
Almost all women I know who go to the salon for a "haircut" get more done than men do when they go to the barber.
 
Men's clothing used to be much cheaper.


Just a few more strategic price hikes and equity shall exist among all!
 
To a point, I actually agree with this. I've got hair down to my waist, so yes, it's more work. But a female friend of mine's got very short hair. One of her male friends is a rocker kinda guy, and he's got hair down around his shoulders. When they go for haircuts, she pays alot more, even though her hair is far shorter, and she doesn't get the fancy treatments.

I would like to see pricing based on what's on your head, not what's in your pants. If you get just a trim, you pay so much. If you get a wash and shampoo, you pay a little more. And so on. This applies regardless of your gender.

I've always wondered what would happen if a martial artist pal and I dropped off identical Kendo uniforms at a dry cleaner, at different times. Would I get charged a higher price because I'm a woman, therefore my clothes are automatically classified as a dress or something, while my male friend gets his classed as baggy pants?
For those who don't know, a Kendo uniform consists of a wraparound jacket, similar to those worn by karate and judo students, and Hakamas- which are a voluminous, deeply pleated pair of pants- sort of a divided skirt. This traditional uniform is identical for both sexes, the only difference in some cases might be colour.
 
I would like to see pricing based on what's on your head, not what's in your pants. If you get just a trim, you pay so much.



I was wondering about this sentence until I got the reference to hair a split second later.
 
I agree with this initiative. Women earn less than men, on average, and that's another reason why prices should be equalized. It's just about fairness.
 
This is stupid.

It is suppose to be a free and open market out there, not a centralized managed market (a.k.a. soviet style). If the buyer doesn't like the price they are getting, go buy the product/service from someone else.

If you are really worried about price, you can always go to a hairdressing school and get it cut really cheap by someone that is learning the trade.
 
I agree with this initiative. Women earn less than men, on average, and that's another reason why prices should be equalized. It's just about fairness.

You're missing the point, which consists of the fact that women are willing to pay extra price for these services because they value them more. The utility they derive from haircuts greatly outweighs the price disparity between sexes. Ever notice why women's shampoo is more expensive than men's, but while at it may be worthwhile to ask why there are more strip clubs catering to men than women?
 

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