FPizzo

I am a student at the University of Chicago The Law School.

Wikipedia Topic Proposal

Price Discrimination (Parent Page)

My main goal for this Wikipedia assignment is to add content about gender-based price discrimination to Wikipedia. As of now there is only one Wikipedia page, titled “Price Discrimination,” that dedicates space to talking about, more specifically, gender-based pricing discrimination. This page generally is poorly structured, includes original research, and only has one very small section discussing gender-based pricing discrimination - which itself is poorly organized and confusing. The parent page has been rated Start-Class. 

I also intend to sum up my article and change the parent page’s discussion on examples of gender-based price discrimination. As of now, the subsection discusses three cities/states that have litigated the issue or researched the issue. I will most likely add that information (if substantiated by relevant and appropriate sources) to my subpage and remove it from the parent page. I think it tends to bog down the reader with facts instead of explaining the overall concept of gender-based price discrimination.  I also believe it can easily be summed up on the parent page and discussed at length on the subpage. 

Gender-Based Price Discrimination (Proposed Subpage)

I have been advised to create my own subpage, which I hope to title “Gender-Based Price Discrimination,” in lieu of revamping the entire parent page.

Importance of a discussion on Gender-Based Price Discrimination:

The topic of gender-based pricing discrimination is well documented yet hardly spoken about and I would like to start a conversation about it on Wikipedia. Further, gender-based price discrimination has the potential to impact everyone’s relationship with the economy: Gender-based price discrimination not only adversely affects women, but also men. I’ve heard some recent talk about gender-based price discrimination after Chicago decided to eliminate the tax on tampons, but taxes are a lot different than price altogether and I want to articulate that in this article. Price discrimination can easily go unnoticed, especially when it comes to the basic necessities for which a consumer has no choice but to purchase (razors, deodorant, shampoo). I believe firmly in a transparent market and a well-informed consumer, so the opportunity to document the various studies on gender-based price discrimination would be a welcome opportunity to inform readers and potential consumers. 

Page Content:

As far as the content is concerned I want to keep the page neutral, meaning I want to discuss the possibility of both female and male price discrimination. Instead of creating sections discussing all female-based price discrimination and then all male-based price discrimination, I want to organize the page by type of product and then note the disparities that exist between the genders. For example, if the subtopic is car insurance I will discuss how car insurance tends to be more expensive for males than females.

Many of the products, retailers, and businesses I will be discussing are international, however, much of the studies focus on the U.S. Dollar amount and the pricing in the United States. There just is not that much research outside of the United States. So unfortunately, this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. I noticed that many articles rated B-Class try to discuss the topic from a worldview, including information from a variety of countries. For example, the Women’s Rights page, rated B-Class, presents the history of women’s rights from ancient culture, China, Russia, and many other countries and cultures. If I find in my research that I am able to present many worldviews on price discrimination, I will be sure to develop those ideas in my article.

Outline:

[Overview]

1 Gender Disparities in Pricing

1.1 Gender Disparities in Pricing of Personal Care Products  

1.2 Gender Disparities in Retail Clothing

1.2.1 Children’s Clothing

1.2.2 Adult Clothing

1.3 Gender Disparities in Health Care Products

1.3.1 Senior Health Care

1.4 Gender Disparities in Car Prices

1.5 Gender Disparities in Services

1.5.1 Hair Salons

1.6 Gender Disparities in Insurance

1.6.1 Health Insurance

1.6.2 Car Insurance

2 Gender Disparities in Discounts

2.1 Ladies’ Night Discounts

2.1.2 New Jersey

3 Gender Disparities in Taxes

3.1 Tampon Tax

4 Consumer Protection Laws

4.1 United States

4.1.1 Federal Reforms

4.1.2 California

4.1.3 New York City

4.1.4 Miami Dade, Florida