Nedbank spotlights gender pricing bias, encourages SA women to shop mindfully

“Our bold new Buy Men’s campaign is about raising awareness about the everyday ways in which women are financially disadvantaged, not just in wages but in how they are expected to spend,” says Khensani Nobanda, group executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nedbank.

“Women should not be penalised simply because products are marketed differently based on gender; and when a woman has to pay more for basic products, the simple fact is that she is being systematically disadvantaged.”

Nedbank’s NedFinHealth Monitor Report shows that women in this country demonstrate significant financial resilience through their ability to manage debt, pay bills on time, and plan for the future — often better than their male counterparts. Women also tend to be better savers and more cautious borrowers than men. 

However, their efforts to stretch their earnings are undermined by pricing disparities that make basic goods and services more expensive for them than for their male counterparts. Nobanda points out that this highlights the unfair reality that South African women are expected to do more with less.

“The Buy Men’s campaign encourages South African women to make more informed purchasing decisions and consider choosing men’s products when they offer the same functionality at a lower cost,” says Nobanda. “By actively comparing prices and challenging gender-based pricing, women can achieve greater control over their spending.