Overview

This bill aims to ban gender-based pricing in the UK. It amends existing consumer protection regulations to make charging different prices for substantially similar products or services based solely on gender illegal.

Description

The Gender-based Pricing (Prohibition) Bill seeks to prohibit charging different prices for products and services that are essentially the same, but are marketed or intended for a specific gender. The bill achieves this by amending the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Specifically, it adds a new clause (clause 32) to Schedule 1 of the Regulations, explicitly stating that differential pricing based on gender is prohibited.

The bill applies to the entire United Kingdom and will come into effect three months after it becomes law. The short title of the Act will be the Gender-based Pricing (Prohibition) Act 2019.

Government Spending

The bill is not expected to have a significant direct impact on government spending. The cost of enforcement would likely fall under existing budgets for consumer protection agencies. No specific figures are provided in the bill text.

Groups Affected

This bill is expected to affect:

• Businesses: Businesses will need to review their pricing strategies to ensure they comply with the new legislation. This could affect businesses across various sectors, including retail, beauty, and personal care.
• Consumers: Consumers, particularly women, who have historically been subject to higher prices for similar goods and services, could benefit from fairer pricing.
• Consumer protection agencies: These agencies would be responsible for enforcing the new law, potentially requiring additional resources for investigations and enforcement actions.

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