Obama Astray on Price Discrimination Against Women In DC and Elsewhere, Law Requires Same Prices

WASHINGTON - April 8, 2014 - PRLog -- The real answer is that it is illegal to charge women more than men to iron shirts, or to provide any other good or service, in the District of Columbia and in many other jurisdictions, says the attorney who forced DC dry cleaners to charge both genders the same.

        In fact, if women's rights groups, law professors who express concern about sex discrimination, and others would simply file complaints under anti-discrimination laws which already exist, they could eliminate this form of sex discrimination in the great majority of states where it has yet to be challenged, suggests public interest law professor John Banzhaf.

        In 1989 Banzhaf's law students filed complaints arguing that dry cleaners charging women 3 to 5 times more than men to launder shirts constituted illegal sex discrimination under DC law, and forced all such businesses in the District to sign consent degrees to charge both genders the same rate.

        That principle quickly spread to a number of other jurisdictions, but in most states women continue to be the victims of pricing discrimination, largely because they tend not to fight it.

        Charging women more than men to launder shirts was not only illegal but dumb, says Banzhaf.

        The dry cleaners argued that it cost them more to iron women's shirts because they were often too small to fit on standard pressing equipment, but this obviously doesn’t apply when so many women bring in large shirts which belong to their husbands.  Banzhaf also noted that a female police officer he met was forced to pay the higher female price, even though she was big with broad shoulders, and also had to wear a bulletproof vest under her trooper shirt.

        “It’s hard to fight the more subtle discrimination against women which occurs with regard to salary, when the great majority of the country allows dry cleaners to openly discriminate.  It sends the wrong messages - that sex discrimination isn’t as wrong or as illegal as racial discrimination,” says Banzhaf

        No state would allow barbers to post different prices for cutting the hair of black and white men, he argues.  Banzhaf and his law students have also successfully fought against sex discrimination in the price of cutting hair, and against “ladies nights” where it’s the men who are discriminated against.

        Many states now ban ladies nights because someone filed complaints.  If Michelle and other women want to be treated equally, they may have to go out and fight for their rights, says Banzhaf.

JOHN F. BANZHAF III, B.S.E.E., J.D., Sc.D.
Professor of Public Interest Law
George Washington University Law School,
FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor,
Fellow, World Technology Network,
Founder, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
2000 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052, USA
(202) 994-7229 // (703) 527-8418
http://banzhaf.net/ @profbanzhaf