Woman from Surrey, B.C., fights gendered pricing

A woman from Surrey, B.C., is petitioning all levels of government to level the gender playing field when it comes to the pricing of products and services.

Ruth Krulitsky is fed up with paying more than men for essentially the same products and services, and has written an email to Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, B.C. Premier Christy Clark and Prime Minister Stephen Harper asking if anything can be done about it.

Krulitsky's campaign for gender equality all started at a hair salon. A few months ago, she decided to buzz her long locks of hair off. Now Krulitsky is in need of a trim. She phoned her hair salon and asked if she would still have to pay the full rate for a women's haircut, even though she only has about two inches of hair.

"I was told that yes I would," said Krulitsky.

"I was told that generally women need more time for their styling and for the complications of the cut, regardless of the length."

Women's haircuts cost $60 at the salon, while men's cost half as much.

"Two inches is two inches, right? You can only do so much."

Krulitsky said she called several other hair salons after that, and all of them had gendered pricing. 

Gendered pricing a problem elsewhere, too

Other businesses charge men and women different prices for the same products and services too.

A Metro Vancouver dry cleaner, for example, charges $13.75 to clean a women's shirt and only $3.50 to clean a men's. 

The problem may point to a larger societal trend.

According to Statistics Canada, women still only make between 75 and 80 cent for every dollar men make. 

Krulitsky said companies are charging women more than men because they can get away with it, and she does not think women should stand for it any longer.

"I didn't get a haircut yet, so I'm holding out for a company that doesn't do their business that way."