US Record Store Charges Women Less Because Of Pay Gap

Portland, Oregon sounds like our kind of neighbourhood. Last week a record company named M?Lady’s Records announced that it would be charging women less than men in a move to draw attention to the gender pay gap, which is a way cooler way of protesting that gathering outside Leinster House on a rainy Saturday while citizen journalists with their own YouTube channels ask you for a quote.

Female customers of M?Lady’s will pay 77% of listed prices, as that’s how much an average woman in the States earns when her salary is compared to that of the average man. According to the US Bureau of Labor, women earn $0.77 for every dollar a man earns.

NPR reports that M?Lady’s isn’t just doing this stunt as a one-off, and quotes the store, which considers itself ?radically feminist?, as saying it will keep the policy in place “until that number gets tuned up and/or we go down in flames.” We like their commitment to the feminist cause.

What do you think of this gender equalising move? Do you think something like this would go over well in Ireland? The gender pay gap in Ireland has widened in recent years, according to a recent report from the European Commission. 1n 2008 the wage gap between men and women here was 12.6%, but in 2012 it increased to 14.4%. While that’s far better than the US statistics, and the European average of 16.4%, it’s still a little bit ?Really?!? as Amy Poehler would put it. And then there’s the fact various studies from around the first world have said that the pay gap isn’t going to close magically overnight to consider.

So what say you to a female only tax relief in the form of cheaper price tags? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Via NPR.org