Tesco slashes prices of women's razors, fixes the patriarchy a little

When women cut themselves shaving, it usually comes with the added sting of knowing they paid up to twice as much as men for the offending razor. 

British supermarket chain Tesco has started to address the disparity by slashing the price of women's disposable razors to match that of men's. 

"We are guided by doing what is right for our customers and by our commitment to offering clear, competitive and transparent pricing," a Tesco spokesperson told the BBC on Monday.

According to the outlet, Tesco representatives claimed differences in supply and demand were responsible for the initial price gap: Apparently, men's razors had been produced and sold to retailers in "significantly higher volumes," driving down their prices in stores. However, there's good reason to think there's something more insidious going on — not just at Tesco, but in supermarkets and drug stores around the world. 

It's long been known that in addition to not receiving equal pay, women are also systematically swindled almost every time they buy a product marketed to their gender. Commonly termed the "pink tax," the higher price women pay for the same products as men — including hygienic supplies like body wash, deodorant, shaving cream and the like — can add up to almost $100,000 over the course of a lifetime. 

In 2016, New York and Chicago took a swing at reducing the disproportionate financial burden placed on women by repealing the sales tax on sanitary products.

While there's no equivalent product for men, pads and tampons are necessities for anyone who menstruates, making a tax on them a matter of "social and economic justice," according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who signed legislation abolishing the tax in July. 

Tesco's latest move also shows progress for the supermarket chain in particular, which drew attention in 2014 when a young girl called out the store on its assumption that only boys liked superheroes. 

Tesco may not be smashing the patriarchy, but to borrow from the chain's own slogan, "Every little helps."