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May 12, 2005
TCBF
Whenever you buy something, you often do not just spend $x on the item and that is all. For example, when you buy a car, you pay $x for the car. But then you have to spend $a per week on gas, $b per month on maintenance, $c on your license plates and so on. So the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is $(x + 52a + 12b + c + whatever else) = $y for the first year, and $z per year thereafter. TCO is studied heavily in business, particularly manufacturing and technology.
I saw a woman this morning on the metro. She had great hair. It looked as though she had just gotten it done. She seemed rather proud of it and was admiring her reflection in the window of the car we were on. It occurred to me that she likely gets her hair done regularly, and that it isn't cheap. She seems to be the type of woman with a high Total Cost of Being Female (TCBF).
Have there been any studies of TCBF? Or TCBM? Let's assume that the average woman uses average things and has average needs, and we will not factor in the necessities of life such as food, shelter, water and high-speed Internet. Let's also assume that she is white, in reasonable health and in her 30s. She's not obsessed with her hair, but she gets it done on a bimonthly basis. Hairstylists for women cost 50% more than for men. She uses typical feminine hygiene products and so on. So you factor in tampons, pads, etc. You've got beauty products. Toilet paper is used much more than men.
Time costs are there, too. She has to spend 15-20 minutes more than Mr. Average per day getting ready to go to work, and 30 minutes to go out with friends, or events. Let's say she does this twice a month, and 6 times in December. If she has custody of one child, and the going-out costs decrease dramatically, but the child-rearing costs make up for it by a factor of 20, both money-wise and time-wise. What else is there? Lots, but I am thinking off the top of my head.
If you factor all this in, then women really don't have a lot of spare time or money. In fact, if men and women were paid the same, at the end of the day, women should have less disposable income, because they are women. But does this mean that they are being paid less? Maybe not. Perhaps the statistic that women are paid 70% of what men are paid is bogus, but the TCBF is much higher than the TCBM. (Oddly enough, women are apparently better at saving money than men are, although I haven't verified this.)
So what do you think? Am I talking right out of my ass here? What else should be included in the calculation of TCBF and TCBM? This would be a really interesting social study if it hasn't been done yet, especially if it suggests that that key 70% earnings statistic is not accurate.
Posted by JonasParker at May 12, 2005 10:04 AM
Comments
"Am I talking right out of my ass here?" Yes.
30 minutes to get ready to go out with friends? Is that 30 minutes longer than Mr. Average? And how long does it take to throw on a skirt and top in the morning vs a full suit and tie for a man?
Women have beauty products, sure. So do men. Aftershave, cologne, moisturizer, sun screen, etc.
So what are you basing this on? Rather, whom are you basing this on? It's certainly not the "average" woman. Unless you think we're all vapid and superficial and can't leave the house to meet up with friends without primping for half an hour.
Posted by: Elizabeth at May 12, 2005 10:43 AM
Mroww! Ahem.
Those were based on purely anecdotal claims from men and women over the last 50 years or so. Many women invest more time and money in looking good to go to work or to go out than men do. I don't think that this is an outrageous claim any more than saying that women spend more time taking care of children than men do. And you do not have to necessarily be vapid or superficial to spend five or ten minutes making sure that there are no stray hair where they shouldn't be. You might want to give schoolteachers and businesswomen an apology.
Anyway, I still think that it is expensive to be female, and I am interested in knowing just how expensive.
Posted by: JonasParker at May 12, 2005 11:06 AM
And men don't feel the same pressure to spend 5 minutes making sure there aren't any stray hairs where they shouldn't be? Come on.
It's a stereotype that women take longer to get ready. Since most of us are no longer pouring ourselves into corsets I have not noticed a greater time difference between the sexes in terms of getting ready.
Posted by: Elizabeth at May 12, 2005 11:30 AM
Sex wars aside, I think the total cost of being is an interesting one. And it's likely to change as spending priorities change.
I would suggets that the TCBF vs TCBM is at it's most different during the ages of 15 - 35 years of age; before and after which they are reasonaby aligned. The cost of mens fashion (generally) is less than that of women. Men (generally) don't use the variety of cosmetic products that women do. Men absolutely use less toiletries (i.e bogroll, sanitary products) than women.
Perhaps there is a male equalizer to all of this. And of course I'm generalizing all over the place. The variance based on culture, class (for want of a better word) and wealth comes into play too... but I do think it makes for an intersting study.
I say go for it.
Posted by: Procrasto at May 12, 2005 1:19 PM
I tend to agree with Procrasto. But what is interesting is that:
if hte 70% is accurate, and if women tend to save more money than men...
Where do we spend our money?!?
I want to say on toys for boys, but that would mean that we save up to buy them (which doesn't usually happen). So where does our money go?
Posted by: Shawn Campbell at May 12, 2005 4:30 PM
Well, since we're talking in gross generalization here, nobody has mentioned the fact that men often pay for more things than women do. At least when they're both single. I can't speak for couples. Could that be the equalizer?
Posted by: La at May 12, 2005 7:48 PM
La - you're a freakin' genius. Yeah. Men get stuck with the bill... while the women take a free ride and use their pennies on pretty things.
Oh stop. I'm kidding. Laugh a little - YOU KNOW IT'S FUNNY!!!
*ahem*
Posted by: Procrasto at May 13, 2005 10:06 AM
It all balances out due to the cultural phenomenon known as "men pay for meals and drinks." An attractive woman can "earn back" whatever she spends on cosmetics, hair care, etc. in a month in a couple of evenings in drinks alone. On the "do women take longer to get ready" tip, most women take at least twice as long as most men. Certainly there are exceptions, but by and large, there is no question on that count. Love ya!
Posted by: Chad at May 20, 2005 3:16 PM
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