Everyone in the UK is feeling the effects of rising prices, but the pain is not being felt evenly.
Women face higher price increases than men in categories such as clothing and toiletries, according to Sky News analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Prices for women’s clothing have risen 37% in the last five years, while men’s clothing has risen 25%.
This has far outpaced salaries, which are only 20% higher than at the beginning of 2017.
Explore how much more expensive different items are by clicking on the outfits below.
What about other women’s clothing? Bras have risen in price as much as wages, but panties are more expensive, costing an average of 37% more than five years ago.
The image of the accessories is mixed. Necklaces are cheaper than in 2017, but a handbag is 34% more expensive.
Toiletries traditionally purchased by women have also seen major inflation. Both nail polish and perfume cost more than 40% more than five years ago.
Do retailers discriminate against women?
Rising material costs and bottlenecks in the supply chain have pushed up the cost of all clothing. So why have women’s clothing prices gone up so much more?
Anita Balchandani, a senior partner at consulting firm McKinsey, says it’s because retailers can raise these prices higher without losing customers.
“Womenswear has risen far ahead of menswear potentially [as a] as a result of expectations around the resilience of demand in the face of price increases,” he says, adding that trends in women’s fashion also tend to move faster.
“In general, the womenswear catalog has a higher proportion of novelties in relation to the central lines of continuity.”
Kayla Marci, a market analyst at retail intelligence platform EDITED, says higher prices haven’t deterred customers yet.
“That could be due to the post-pandemic revenge spending phenomenon where, after being indoors and wearing sweatpants for so long, people are meeting up with friends again and looking to buy new outfits,” she says.
Revenge spending fuels demand for jeans and heels
Jeans are one of the most popular items since the pandemic restrictions were lifted.
Buying unbranded jeans will cost you 79% more than in 2017, according to ONS data. Brand-name jeans have seen more moderate price increases.
Ms. Marci says demand for heels and leather is also increasing as people trade in loungewear during lockdown for more fashionable items.
Premium brands are the ones that raise prices the most. Inflation in the luxury sector is more than 25 times that of the mass market, according to data from EDITED.
“Luxury brands have been raising their prices to offset rising commodity prices, to become more exclusive and to counter poor results during the pandemic,” says Ms. Marci.
But as households come under increasing pressure from rising fuel and food prices, how will demand keep up?
Ms Balchandani says that people who buy mass-market brands are disproportionately pressured by price increases in other sectors.
“Demand is likely to hold up in the short term, but later in the year we expect to see some pressure,” he says.
“Optimism is receding: UK consumer confidence is now where we were when the lockdown began.”
Read more:
See how much your spending has increased
Five ways the cost-of-living crisis could be eased
the Data and forensic analysis The team is a multi-functional unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism for Sky News. We collect, analyze and visualize data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analytics from satellite imagery, social media, and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling, our goal is to better explain the world and, at the same time, show how our journalism is done.
Source: news.sky.com