Retail Matters Podcast: The Pink Tariff: Is it Time for a Change?

The U.S. is in the midst of a trade war. And, as consumers and companies brace themselves for the war’s fallout, concerns are growing that resulting high prices from tariffs will hit women harder.

President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10 percent on Chinese goods. The tariffs, which went into effect March 4, are expected to cost American households between $1,600 and $2,000 a year. Tariffs are typically passed onto the consumer by companies forced to pay increased rates on a long list of goods.

But multiple studies on tariff rates and their impact have shown that tariffs don’t always fall equally on all consumers. A 2018 study by the U.S. International Trade Commission found that lower income consumers pay a larger share of their wages in tariffs. What’s more, the report found, women shoulder more of the tariff burden, paying more than men for gendered products such as clothing and shoes.