The New Improved Pink Tax Much has been written about the Pink Tax, which, despite the name, is not an actual tax. It refers to the practice of charging more for products intended for sale to women, where an almost identical product for men costs less. The same manufacturer may charge more for a pink razor than a blue one. A women’s blouse will often be more expensive than a similar men’s shirt. A salon
Better Late: A Neurodiverse Love Story “I deserve so much better,” I whisper into my husband’s ear as we embrace in the kitchen. Alex’s barrel chest and round belly press against me. “Yesterday you left me waiting for you at the restaurant,” I remind him. “That’s not okay. You can’t do that.” I’d waited for an hour before giving up and eating alone. He texted me later with an offhand “Sorry, I got caught up
Get Out Your TugBoat In 1971, Erica Jong interviewed the legendary Anais Nin, who was then in her sixties. Jong asked Nin why she allowed her publisher to cut the sex out of her diaries. “Women who write about sex are never taken seriously as writers,” said Nin. “That’s exactly why we must do it,” said Jong. That year I was a freshman, studying writing at a top liberal arts college. My writing teachers were
An Open Letter to the New York Times Dear New York Times: I now live several states away and read your paper on a screen. Still, the daily experience of reading the Times brings me back to the 1970s: to mornings in Brooklyn with a poppyseed bagel in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Ever since, throughout the events of my lifetime, public and private, the Times has been my trusted companion. And
Work Sucks for Women Too. Regardless of Our Age. Years ago I worked with a woman who won nine million dollars in the California state lottery. The lottery folks suggested she take a monthly payout but she said no thanks, she wanted it all. After taxes she got just over three million dollars. This woman – let’s call her Claire – was the administrative assistant in the Marketing department. I didn’t know her, but my
Vote With Your Feet on Abortion Leverage our Post-Menopausal Freedom after the Dobbs Ruling If, like me, you’re a woman way past menopause, you don’t have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy derailing or threatening your life. Other things might throw us: an off-calendar heart attack or unexpected cancer. But for those who have long parted ways with our uteri, the Dobbs decision is an insult, not an existential threat. That gives us leverage. We
