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Final Reflection

Language is one of the most integral “tools” created by mankind. Without some sort of language, how would we communicate with each other? Even more so, written language is such a revolutionary and important part of our everyday lives, ranging from simple communication through text messages and emails to communication of ideas and information through academic writing. Over the past month of my Lang 120: Academic Writing and Critical Inquiry course, I learned how to approach academic writing and critical thinking in a multitude of ways, applying new techniques and knowledge acquired along the way. My writing has improved significantly in such a small span of time from my first day of class to now.

#final reflection

Presentation on gender-based pricing and the luxury tax on feminine hygiene products: The Woman Tax

"It's Official: Being a Woman Is More Expensive Than Being a Man. Here's Why." Buzzworthy || The Webs Sweetspot. N.p., 2016. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

#the woman tax #presentation

magicbeat

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her heart is here but her mind is in a tarpit

#things i like

Gender Pricing and The Pink Tax: Interview Reflection

To gain a more personal perspective on the issue of gender-based pricing, I decided to interview my mother. I noticed as the interview progressed, that my mom felt pretty passionate about this topic— as I expect most women would. When asked if she had ever experienced gender-based pricing when shopping for personal care items or when getting dry cleaning or getting a haircut she immediately responded “definitely, the dry cleaning and haircuts.” She then went on to inform that if she were to have one of my dad’s big men’s shirts washed and pressed she would pay $1.50 but if she got one of my small women’s shirts washed and pressed, she would have to pay $2.50. My mom seemed to be quite frustrated with the luxury tax on feminine hygiene products; her tone became exasperated as I asked her if she knew of the tax as she said “Yes I do. I think its BS. What? Are you not supposed to use hygiene products? What else are we supposed to use?” We discussed the luxury tax on feminine hygiene products further and my mom pointed out the fact that cigarettes and alcohol are luxury taxed because “those are legitimate luxuries— no one’s buying [feminine hygiene products] for fun.” I thought she made a good point with this, that no one buys feminine hygiene products for fun. It is unfair to tax them, and clearly my mom felt the same way. As far as the price disparities between men’s and women’s products, my mom said she had never noticed it before since she only buys whatever items are on sale. When I informed her that such disparities do exist, she seemed upset and frustrated as she said she found the issue discriminatory and she felt it does contribute to not only economic gender inequality but gender inequality in general. At one point in the interview, she even wondered “I don’t even understand how [gender pricing] is legal.” This was one of the reasons I decided to research this topic in the first place; I wondered the same thing. I think the insight my mom provided really captures the frustration women feel over these issues of inequality.

Lozada, Lorene. "My Mother on Gender-Pricing." Telephone interview. 23 Oct. 2016.

#interview reflection #the woman tax

Sources Conversation Script: The Woman Tax

My topic:

Through my research I am exploring the issue of economic gender inequality and how gender-based pricing and the luxury tax on feminine hygiene products contributes to this. I am also researching legislation created and action taken in an effort to lessen the unfair economic burden placed on women.

Setting the stage:

This conversation takes place in a drugstore. As a married couple shops for personal care items, they realize some price disparities between the husband’s items and the wife’s items as they check out at the cash register. The cashier and other shoppers become part of the conversation as the husband and wife ask questions about these price differences.

The script:

Wife: How could this be? We bought the same products but mine are more expensive!

Husband: Yeah, look at this: we have the same brand of deodorant but the men’s version turned out to be 70 cents cheaper!

Cashier 1 (Buzzfeedblue): Sorry to bud in, but I’ve actually noticed this before, it surprised me too. Sometimes when I stock the shelves of the store I’ve noticed that men’s products are often much cheaper than the woman’s equivalent.

#sources script #the woman tax

diamonds-wood

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Female? Pay Up.

Throughout history women have never truly been seen or treated as equals to men while women’s rights issues have been marginalized time and time again. Early feminists and women’s rights leaders from the late 1840’s spurred the first collective women’s rights movement in the US. This women’s rights movement continued on into the 1920’s gaining women the right to vote, the right to own property, a larger role in society, and equal taxation and representation to men by fighting for their rights and gaining their voice in society. Certainly women have gained more respect and recognition as equals in society since 1920 but, unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. Women are unfairly represented and treated in society, in the media, in politics, in the criminal justice system, in the workplace, and even in the economic market. Not only have women suffered economic discrimination with the gender-based wage gap, but have also been falling victim to an unfair economic burden in the marketplace. Recent studies have shown that women are charged more than men for certain services and personal care items. This is not only unfair, but discriminatory to women, and such price disparities between men’s and women’s products and services only contribute to gender inequality.

The issue, however, may not even be this complex. Independent writer Joanne Sasvari suggests many women are simply not aware of the existing price disparities between their products and those of men. Women are not aware that they are being charged more for the same basic hygiene products as men and therefore are letting companies get away with charging them more (Sasvari). The same goes for services such as dry cleaning and haircuts. Duesterhaus research shows that women are most noticeably charged more for these services than for commercial products. According to Duesterhaus data tables, the average gender-based price difference in haircuts among low end to high end salons ranges from $2.17 to as much as $12.24 (Duesterhaus). The difference here is that unlike the gender-based price disparities in personal care products, the price differences with these services are not as commonly overlooked. Sasvari refers to an anecdote from Alison Pidskalny whose husband informed her that he was being charged significantly less by his stylist for a haircut very similar to hers. She decided to switch over thinking she could save money this way, but ended up being charged the same amount she had been paying before. Reflecting on her experience, Pidskalny tells Sasvari, “...It was disappointing. It just doesn't make any sense to me. It's unjust." It’s pretty clear, in this case, that the prices were determined by gender- male vs female- as each customer was given a somewhat complex, short haircut from the same stylist while the only real difference between the two customers was their gender. When I asked my mother in an interview if she has ever noticed gender-based price differences when getting a haircut or having dry cleaning done, she immediately responded “Definitely. Both of those things.” When asked to elaborate, my mother went on to inform that if she were to have one of my dad’s big men’s shirts washed and pressed she would pay $1.50 but if she got one of my small women’s shirts washed and pressed, she would have to pay $2.50 (Lozada).

#scholarly op ed article #the woman tax #Female? Pay Up.#economic gender inequality #gender inequality #feminism

bunlly

You’re an island no matter what you do. I think it’s very dangerous to use popularity as your identity in life. So you have to really know who you are inside, the core person, and follow what is true rather than follow what is hype.

Donny Osmond (via lazypacific)

#things i like

bunlly

painting by Asagi Natsume

Somehow, we’ll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.

Brandon Sanderson (via lazypacific)

Reflection: My One Month Writing Journey

Language is one of the most integral “tools” created by mankind. Without some sort of language, how would we communicate with each other? Even more so, written language is such a revolutionary and important part of our everyday lives, ranging from simple communication through text messages and emails to communication of ideas and information through academic writing. Over the past month of my Lang 120: Academic Writing and Critical Inquiry course, I learned how to approach academic writing and critical thinking in a multitude of ways, applying new techniques and knowledge acquired along the way. My writing has improved significantly in such a small span of time from my first day of class to now.

#midterm reflection

thunderstruck9

Penleigh Boyd (Australian, 1890-1923), Queen Street during the Prince’s Visit, 1920. Oil on panel, 28 x 44.5 cm.

#things I like

Freewrite | 15 Sept. 2016

Fashion is something I have always been interested in. I remember, as a little girl, putting together outfits with various articles of clothing and leaving them on a clothing rack in the store, hung up together in the way I intended for them to be arranged while my mom did her shopping. When I was little, fashion was really only about creating what I would now call “visual interest” — I didn’t really have a “style,” I just put together outfits I thought looked nice. Of course these outfits were quite different from what I would wear now considering I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a denim skirt with camo pockets and a sequined, aqua-blue cap. During elementary school, I switched from a public school to a charter school. The charter school I began attending during fourth grade had a strict dress code — not uniforms just the classic solid colored collared shirt tucked into belted khaki pants or, if you were a girl, you had the option to wear a khaki skirt but only if it was no shorter than an inch above the knee. I was pretty okay with abiding by this dress code for a while, no major complaints, but as I moved into middle school, I became fed up with the lack of self expression this dress code allowed and I even began bending some of the rules desperate to express myself somehow. Once I finally hit high school and moved back into public school, fashion went from just whatever looked “nice” to my most treasured form of outward self-expression. I began trying to convey personality, interests and even mood and emotion through my aesthetic using fashion and even “beauty” such as hairstyle and makeup looks to my advantage to affect the way I was perceived at first glance. High school was certainly a journey for me, trying to find my own style that I felt could give a sort of glimpse into who I was in essence. Of course this changed and still is changing over the years as I change as a person but I always find the easiest way to express myself outwardly to be through fashion. Of course I value the way I am perceived by others, so my outward aesthetic is important to me since I never got to be an individual in this aspect among my peers for five years.

#september 15 freewrite

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