In my previous post, we looked at physical differences and social expectations that result in men and women paying different amounts for everyday living. But in addition to expectations for women to spend more time and money on cosmetics and personal care, there may be another, more insidious reason for the difference in spending… the so-called ‘pink tax’.
Category: Equality
How much does it cost to be a woman?
We talk a lot about the fact that women earn less than men. But we talk a lot less about the fact that it costs more to be a woman.
Should we have a basic income?
Over 400 years BC, a massive seam of silver was discovered in the mines in Athens. Naturally, how to distribute this new-found wealth provoked great debate. Aristides, a statesman of the time, proposed that the profit be distributed among the Athenian citizens.
The way in which natural resources – not only mining, but water, natural forests, arable land, and the sea – are allocated has always been and remains a major concern of humanity. In Australia, a combination of the mining boom and the global financial crisis is said to have caused a two-speed economy that saw some grow very rich while others became poorer.
Even more alarmingly, there exist companies who have designs on natural resources which everyone should have a fundamental right to – those resources needed for survival.
Is it harder to buy a house these days?
Increasing house prices is one of the most frequently discussed – and worried about – topics.
One of the most fascinating items on display at the British Museum is a 13th century mortgage, carved into a stone brick.
Dated Sunday 11 June 1217, and written in Sanskrit mixed with the local dialect in Nagari script, the enormous brick records a mortgage against a loan. (I suspect that if you took out enough mortgages, you could build a house out of the mortgage bricks!)