What It’s Like Having A #WomanCard

More stories from Annie Chen

Beyoncés Formation
February 22, 2016
What Its Like Having A #WomanCard

Donald Trump has recently accused Hillary Clinton of “playing the woman card left and right”. He continued to remark that she would not get nearly as many votes as she has if she were a man. This left most of the female (and frankly even the male) population left wondering: what is a “woman card”?

Well, I believe that I’ve come to terms with the “useful advantages” of having a woman card.

1. Having a #WomanCard entails making 78 cents to every mans’ dollar.

This is not even including the broader pay gap for women of color.

The American Association of University Women states in comparison to men, Asian American women make 90% of what they would, African American women make 63%, American Indian women make 59%, and Hispanic or Latina women make 54%.

This wage gap is the result of women being “underrepresented in the three industries with the highest average wages… but [representing] more than half of employees in the three industries with the lowest average wages.”

A double-blind study done by Princeton University in 2012 showed that faculty members found the male applicants “significantly more competent and hirable than the (identical) female applicant.”

2. Another perk to a #WomanCard is being catcalled. 84% of 16,600 women reported to a study by Cornell University that they were verbally harassed by men before they were 17. 

Maybe this isn’t an issue though, right? I’ve had people come up to me and claim that men are just complimenting women, so women shouldn’t take it so personally.

But it doesn’t stop here, does it?

Over half of the surveyed women said that they had been groped by these catcallers, 71% of these women claiming that they were followed by these catcallers.

Still a fun time?

I’m sure the self-proclaimed meninists are right though, following a girl after you verbally harass her about her butt (which is so heartwarming to a woman, really) is just a compliment. Really, women should be flattered.

3. And thirdly, having a #WomanCard allows you to pay the glorious pink tax. What is the pink tax?

The pink tax is a splendid tax in which “pink” items targeted towards women often cost more than the same products for men. This mainly applies to personal care items such as razors, deodorants, and body spray.

These products are not only most costly, but are often slimmer and contain less product than those for men, an attempt by the manufacturer to create a more “feminine” product to market to women. This tactic is known as “shrink it and pink it”. If that’s not offensive, I don’t know what is.

It is estimated that this oh-so-miniscule pink tax adds up to over 1,300 dollars a year lost for the price disparities. If you are a senior in high school, this would mean that you’ve lost 13,000 dollars at least from the pink tax.

Don’t you just love being taxed for being a woman, for your gender identity that you cannot control?

Some other runner-ups for the best perks of a #WomanCard include…

  • You becoming an insult amongst people who think that you throw, fight, or do anything “manly”, “like a girl”. 
  • Needing to tell a man that you “have a boyfriend” to get them to leave you alone.
  • Needing to “reaffirm” your womanhood to society if you are a transgender woman.

That just about sums up the perks of the #WomanCard that Hillary Clinton is obviously using to her advantage. Right?