Women’s products cost seven per cent more than nearly identical products aimed at men, a new study has found.

According to research from the New York Consumer Affairs Board – which looked at 800 products with both male and female versions – women are paying more than men 42 per cent of the time. Clothes apparently cost eight per cent more if you’re a female consumer, despite being made from the exact same materials, and personal care products – like body wash, razors and haircare – are even worse, clocking up to a 13 per cent difference.

It may not seem a lot right now, but these figures seriously add up over the course of a lifetime. You also need to consider that women are already earning much less as it is – with men still making an average of 14 per cent more a year. Shamefully, that figure widens even more if you’re a women of colour.

“Over the course of a woman’s life, the financial impact of these gender-based pricing disparities is significant,” explains the study. “In 1994, the State of California studied the issue of gender-based pricing of services and estimated that women effectively paid an annual ‘gender tax’ of approximately $1,351 for the same services as men... The findings of this study suggest women are paying thousands of dollars more over the course of their lives to purchase similar products as men.”

Although this study was aimed at American retailers, it’s not too different from the situation in the UK. The stats seem to remain the same: with Amazon selling five women’s razors for £2.23, with the identical men’s version going for just £1.79 – as well as many other shady similarities. That’s not even touching on the tampon tax, either.

The full study, titled From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer, can be found here.