What is a ‘pink tariff’? A gender tax exists in global trade, too

Since President Donald Trump unleashed an onslaught of import taxes on countries around the world, the word tariff has entered the collective vocabulary, and with it reciprocal tariffs, retaliatory tariffs, compound tariffs, and most-favored nation tariffs. But here’s one you may not have heard before, even though it’s been around for decades: the pink tariff. Pink tariffs add a roughly 3% U.S. tax onto the price of women’s clothing compared to the same products made for men, according to CNN. How do pink tariffs work? Research shows that tariffs don’t affect everyone equally. In 2018, a U.S. International Trade Commission study found that women pay more than men for gendered product categories like clothing and shoes, as reported by Politico. That’s because the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which creates U.S. tariff rates on U.S. imports, classifies footwear and apparel by gender, per CNN. “It is very strange and hugely inappropriate that the U.S. government should be having differential tax rates that attack women more than men for essentially the same things,” Ed Gresser, vice president and director for trade and global markets at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), told Politico. For example, Gresser looked at tariff rates for women’s clothing in 2022 and found they were 16.7% higher than men’s, at 13.6%. How will Trump’s trade war affect pink tariffs? Notably, Trump’s disruption of tariff policy does not extend to pink tariffs, which are being left in place. As women’s clothing will continue to be taxed at a higher rate than men’s, the tariffs Trump is placing on China and potentially other countries could hit female consumers in the U.S. harder than their male counterparts. Women in the U.S. were already paying “a kind of gender surcharge of at least $2 billion a year,” according to the PPI. Add on Trump’s tariffs, and that number will likely go up. For now, women will need to wait and see by how much. Although Trump has currently paused tariffs on all countries for 90 days—except China, which now faces a whopping 145% tax on imports to the U.S.—many companies aren’t waiting to see the effects; they’re increasing their prices and passing those costs on to consumers. It’s now common to see “tariff surcharges” on company invoices and websites.

Apr 17, 2025 - 11:54

What is a ‘pink tariff’? A gender tax exists in global trade, too

Since President Donald Trump unleashed an onslaught of import taxes on countries around the world, the word tariff has entered the collective vocabulary, and with it reciprocal tariffs, retaliatory tariffs, compound tariffs, and most-favored nation tariffs. But here’s one you may not have heard before, even though it’s been around for decades: the pink tariff.

Pink tariffs add a roughly 3% U.S. tax onto the price of women’s clothing compared to the same products made for men, according to CNN.

How do pink tariffs work?

Research shows that tariffs don’t affect everyone equally. In 2018, a U.S. International Trade Commission study found that women pay more than men for gendered product categories like clothing and shoes, as reported by Politico.

That’s because the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which creates U.S. tariff rates on U.S. imports, classifies footwear and apparel by gender, per CNN.

“It is very strange and hugely inappropriate that the U.S. government should be having differential tax rates that attack women more than men for essentially the same things,” Ed Gresser, vice president and director for trade and global markets at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), told Politico.

For example, Gresser looked at tariff rates for women’s clothing in 2022 and found they were 16.7% higher than men’s, at 13.6%.

How will Trump’s trade war affect pink tariffs?

Notably, Trump’s disruption of tariff policy does not extend to pink tariffs, which are being left in place.

As women’s clothing will continue to be taxed at a higher rate than men’s, the tariffs Trump is placing on China and potentially other countries could hit female consumers in the U.S. harder than their male counterparts.

Women in the U.S. were already paying “a kind of gender surcharge of at least $2 billion a year,” according to the PPI. Add on Trump’s tariffs, and that number will likely go up. For now, women will need to wait and see by how much.

Although Trump has currently paused tariffs on all countries for 90 days—except China, which now faces a whopping 145% tax on imports to the U.S.—many companies aren’t waiting to see the effects; they’re increasing their prices and passing those costs on to consumers. It’s now common to see “tariff surcharges” on company invoices and websites.