A vegan cafe in Australia is adding 18 per cent more to men’s bills in an effort to fight the gender pay gap.
Handsome Her, a cafe based in Melbourne and describes itself as “by women for women”.
The gender pay gap in Australia currently stands at 18 per cent, with no improvements in the last 20 years.
On the decision to charge men more for their purchases, cafe owner Alex O’Brien said:
“We’ve had this [pay discrepancy] for decades and decades, and we’re bringing it to the forefront of people’s minds.”
“I like that it is making men stop and question their privilege a little bit.”
The extra tax on men’s receipts is optional, because Australian law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
As a result, men are asked if they want to pay the 18 per cent, and the additional tax is only in place one week a month.
“If people aren’t comfortable paying it — if men aren’t going to pay it — we’re not going to kick them out the door. It’s just a good opportunity to do some good, ” O’Brien explains.
Every time a man pays the 18 per cent, it goes to female-led charities, including Elizabeth Morgan House, a charity focused on helping Aboriginal women, who frequently experience domestic violence in Australia.
The cafe also has two additional rules, posted on a chalkboard outside. Women have priority seating inside the cafe, and ‘respect goes both ways’.
The ‘man tax’ has divided social media, with some praising the cafe for starting a conversation about the wage gap:
https://twitter.com/erinrileyau/status/893047250766577665?ref_src=twsrc^tfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2017%2F08%2F08%2Faustralian-cafes-18-percent-man-tax-would-have-to-be-even-larger-in-the-us.html
love it! Spaces for ladies is always great and highlighting the pay gap like this is harder for people to ignore.
— Fiona Cannon (@FiCan) August 3, 2017
Some, however, believe the tax will only widen the pay gap:
I think if you want to fight for equality then surely treating everyone the same is the way to go
— Leroy Brown (@LeighroyH) August 3, 2017
Melbourne cafe Handsome her charging an 18% 'man tax' for gender pay gap awareness. Makes me 18% more likely to get her to pay #equality
— Aidan March (@AidanMarchComic) August 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/ScarlettDreams2/status/893716722129162240
However, despite mixed reception, the cafe is flourishing. Handsome Her posted on it’s Facebook page, stating:
“Yesterday and today we were jam-packed with customers showing their support.”
“We’ve had men travel across town to visit us and pay ‘the man tax’ and throw some extra in the donation jar.”
