Denmark declares different prices for men and women's haircuts as: "illegal"

Bad Santa

Woman in Denmark complained that men were being charged less and was awarded a small settlement and now:

Hair-raising ruling:

Denmark, which like its Nordic neighbours prides itself on promoting equal treatment for men and women, has taken gender equality all the way to the beauty salon.

A ruling last month by Denmark's Board of Equal Treatment effectively stated that price differences between men's and women's haircuts were illegal.

It ordered a salon advertising women's haircuts for 528 crowns - £59 - and men's haircuts for 428 crowns - £48 - plus an extra fee for long hair, to pay 2,500 crowns - £281- to a woman who had filed a complaint.

Now, a trade organisation for hairdressers has called the decision absurd, saying it will become a nightmare to set prices for customers and warning of 'pricing chaos'.

'It takes, quite simply, longer time with women,' said Connie Mikkelsen, chairwoman of the Danish organisation for independent hairdressers and cosmeticians.

The board's decision has been appealed and a court will determine whether hairdressers need to find a new way to charge for their services, in the length of time, or the standard of the cut.

'Measuring time will lead to a discussion of hair length - what is medium length, and what is long. It will end in a series of conflicts with customers,' Mikkelsen said.

Nordic countries consistently hold some of the highest rankings in global gender equality indices.

Denmark ranked seventh out of 135 countries in the World Economic Forum's global gender gap index which benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education and health criteria.

Is this taking gender gap narrowing a little too far? Would you like to see similar measures here?

Personally, I think hair cuts should be charged based on length, procedure and time taken - see no need for gender specific prices myself.

Where To

Hairy stuff.

landsleaving

More work should mean more expensive, whether the hair in question is on a male or female head. Simple really.

Tescosolvakia

Charge on a timed basis, problem solved

Tom_Cruise

Woman dont need hair anyway, i dont know why they still wear it

mark renton

First car insurance and now haircut, before too long there will be no telling us apart.

PC CDROM

mark renton wrote: »

First car insurance and now haircut, before too long there will be no telling us apart.

eh.. you're doing it wrong.

sjon945

In Sweeden, I hear the toilets are been made the same. Men and Women go together.

Urinals will be made illegal and men will have to pee sitting down so we have gender equality.

The sweedish are big on getting young boys playing with dolls and girls with guns.

mark renton

PC CDROM wrote: »

eh.. you're doing it wrong.

eh.. no im not. your reading it wrong.

CreepingDeath

A ruling last month by Denmark's Board of Equal Treatment effectively stated that price differences between men's and women's haircuts were illegal.

If only Carlsberg did Equal Treatment boards...

Ghandee

You just know if this law was passed in Ireland, you'd end up with a €120 Bill for your usual once a month, five min 'number two, back and sides'

Bad Santa

sjon945 wrote: »

In Sweeden, I hear the toilets are been made the same. Men and Women go together.

Few places in Dublin with unisex toilets already.

Was in one and it felt really odd sitting in a cubicle as two women chatted away at the sinks.

Felt so uncomfortable I almost didn't cum.

bluecode

Men go to get their hair cut. Women go to get it styled. Maybe things are different in Denmark?

But even so I have never paid €48 for a hair cut and €59 seems low for a woman's cut. My wife pays €80 or so, though that includes colour. I pay a maximun of €15 and that is probably how long it takes.

Like the car insurance thing this is gender equality gone silly.

Fromthetrees

For christ sake, when I go in for a haircut I say blade 2 or 3 back and sides and a four on top, it takes about 5 minutes, any women I know make a big event of getting their hair done and it takes freaking ages.

If Russell Brand walks in and wants a very specific haircut and it's going to take 5 times longer than to do mine than I don't think it's fair we are charged the same, this should have nothing to do with gender and entirely to do with the level of service required.

Fucking hell like.

Boombastic

sjon945 wrote: »

In Sweeden, I hear the toilets are been made the same. Men and Women go together.

Urinals will be made illegal and men will have to pee sitting down so we have gender equality.

The sweedish are big on getting young boys playing with dolls and girls with guns.

Haircuts are also very dear in Sweden for men.

* some joke about house mafia with blades*, dam you brain:pac:

Madam_X

I'd be cool with paying the same price as a short back and sides for dying, cutting and styling of my almost waist-length hair.

Ihatecuddles-old

I have really long thick hair, halfway down my back, it takes about 40 minutes for them to dry it.
Cutting is about the same, then there's the 10 minutes it takes to wash it. Hence why I have to pay more for my haircut than a man with 3 inches of hair, that cut takes 15 minutes.

Ridiculous. Also, I can get my hair cut for €35 in my local salon. Wouldn't pay a penny more, the price of some salons is crazy. €55 for a cut, no thanks.

CreepingDeath

Boombastic wrote: »

Haircuts are also very dear in Sweden for men.

* some joke about house mafia with blades*, dam you brain:pac:

Everything is expensive in Sweden, I think pints are about €8.50

orestes

There's a big difference between a guy going to the barbers and a lady going to the hairdresser/stylist. Getting your head buzzed over with an electric razor isn't the same thing as colouring/layering/whatevering - different service so different cost.

With that said though, guys with long hair have been using this price loophole to get decent trims on the cheap from hairdressers rather than risking a barbers for years. And they give you one of those proper head in the sink hair-washes too, which is the most awesome thing ever.

Fox_In_Socks

Madam_X wrote: »

I'd be cool with paying the same price as a short back and sides for dying, cutting and styling of my almost waist-length hair.

Hi there!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O8sCfbOMFLo/Ta1xpInQ97I/AAAAAAAACVo/iCUUVOmv0Rk/s1600/homer_sexy.gif

Grrrrrrrr!:pac:

I think if this ever comes into effect in Ireland, then I will start cutting my own hair. My father used to cut his own hair...and it was the most lob sided thing you could ever imagine. My mother always had to help him at the end to have it looking someway "normal".:pac:

Boombastic

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Everything is expensive in Sweden, I think pints are about €8.50

yep, Not as dear as Denmark though!! Mens haircuts are particularly dear about €45 for men, same equality crap and Denmark are after passing

phasers

this seems totally fair imo. My brothers pay less than a tenner for their haircuts while my Mam pays 25 even though her hair is shorter and takes about 10 minutes to do.

More hair = more money, I don't see the problem.

Also holy **** danish haircuts are expensive.

Bad Santa

Ihatecuddles wrote: »

Hence why I have to pay more for my haircut than a man with 3 inches of hair, that cut takes 15 minutes.

Aye but most saloons have a Gents price in the window and it says nothing about length. If Ed Byrne (or some other guy with as long hair) were to go into a House of Colour, a Toni & Guy or a Robert Chambers saloon, they would be charged around €20 while a woman with the same hair length and also wanting just a cut and blow dry, would be charged significantly more.

I don't think a barbers would charge a woman more to shave her head just because she's a woman and so hair cut price, in my opinion, should be based on length, procedure requested and the time that will take. I see no reason to have the words men, gents, ladies or women on a hairdressers price list.

orestes

Bad Santa wrote: »

Aye but most saloons have a Gents price in the window and it says nothing about length. If Ed Byrne (or some other guy with as long hair) were to go into a House of Colour, a Toni & Guy or a Robert Chambers saloon, they would be charged around €20 while a woman with the same hair length and also wanting just a cut and blow dry, would be charged significantly more.

Grrrrrr, why does everybody always use Ed Byrne as an example of a guy with long hair? :mad:

Ihatecuddles-old

Bad Santa wrote: »

Aye but most saloons have a Gents price in the window and it says nothing about length. If Ed Byrne (or some other guy with as long hair) were to go into a House of Colour, a Toni & Guy or a Robert Chambers saloon, they would be charged around €20 while a woman with the same hair length and also wanting just a cut and blow dry, would be charged significantly more.

I don't think a barbers would charge a woman more to shave her head just because she's a woman and so hair cut price, in my opinion, should be based on length, procedure requested and the time that will take. I see no reason to have the words men, gents, ladies or women on a hairdressers price list.

That's exactly what I was trying to say

Zebra3

bluecode wrote: »

I pay a maximun of €15 and that is probably how long it takes.

Your haircut takes, timewise, €15 long.



Wtf?

kumate_champ07

I was in a toilet in a Dublin club/pub a few months back, for some reason I thought it was unisex. turns out it wasnt..
..nothing bad happened, but it was embarrassing

Ihatecuddles-old

Zebra3 wrote: »

Your haircut takes, timewise, €15 long.



Wtf?

Maybe, just maybe....he means 15 minutes? Just a stab in the dark!

Grayson

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

I was in a toilet in a Dublin club/pub a few months back, for some reason I thought it was unisex. turns out it wasnt..
..nothing bad happened, but it was embarrassing

I walked into the wrong one a while back. These girls around the mirror stopped and stared at me. I look up from my phone and it took about 5 seconds for it to gradually sink in.


regarding hair, bald is beautiful. well, I'm beautiful.

Max Power

I lasted €30 last night in bed. :cool:

Ihatecuddles-old

FionnMcCool87 wrote: »

I lasted €30 last night in bed. :cool:

I lasted about €480, I was wrecked.

cantdecide

I'm going to have to charge myself more for shaving my head:(









/sits back and looks smug:pac:

dark crystal

couldn't men just use a clippers at home to cut their hair? That's what my fella does - he hasn't had to pay for a haircut in years.

Not as easy for a woman unfortunately

Aoifums

Seems sensible. My hair isn't styled. It's a shoulder U-shaped cut with the bits at the front cut slightly shorter. I cut it at home in less than 10 minutes. Most places seem to charge €50+ for trimming that. I have no idea why that costs so much. My brother had longer hair than me and a trim for him was €10. Seems fair enough :rolleyes:

languagenerd

It should be based on hair length and on what you're getting done. Not time though, you'd only end with some chancers going slower than they could to earn more (and, in fairness, you aren't gonna walk away mid-cut if they're taking too long, are you?).

Bit ridiculous that she got a £280 pay-out for being charged £10 more on a haircut though, what the hell?

Scruffles

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Woman dont need hair anyway, i dont know why they still wear it

not all of us want long/styled hair,have got a pair of hair clippers that does mine quickly and effortlesly;a number one.:P
apparently in years to come,hair will be wiped out of evolution anyway,hairdressers will be screwed.

Irish Guitarist

I'm male and years ago I had really long hair, longer than a lot of womens hair. I decided to get it cut short. I got a wash and cut and I think it cost €12.

I don't want to see both genders paying similar prices for haircuts, or price being based on length of hair. While that would be fair, it doesn't matter to me because the way things are at the moment works out in my favour. I'm not sexist or anything, I just like cheap haircuts.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i want the state to stay out of the price of haircuts

but I guess I'm just a right wing fascist

phasers

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I'm male and years ago I had really long hair, longer than a lot of womens hair. I decided to get it cut short. I got a wash and cut and I think it cost 12.

I don't want to see both genders paying similar prices for haircuts, or price being based on length of hair. While that would be fair, it doesn't matter to me because the way things are at the moment works out in my favour. I'm not sexist or anything, I just like cheap haircuts.

Yeah well I liked cheap car insurance but someone went and fcuked that up.

I have suddenly decided that this is a feminist issue and will be going to the European court of Human Rights about it. :cool:

super_furry

Go home Denmark, you are drunk.

Cookie_Monster

Grayson wrote: »

I walked into the wrong one a while back. These girls around the mirror stopped and stared at me. I look up from my phone and it took about 5 seconds for it to gradually sink in.

yet vice versa is another one of those things that seem fine

LLU

Ghandee wrote: »

You just know if this law was passed in Ireland, you'd end up with a €120 Bill for your usual once a month, five min 'number two, back and sides'

which is pretty much what has happened with car insurance. :mad:

Bad Santa

orestes wrote: »

Grrrrrr, why does everybody always use Ed Byrne as an example of a guy with long hair? :mad:

Cause his is the bounciest.

Flaker

I used to have one of those short haircuts with a long floppy fringe that was sort of unisex I suppose (I'm a girl by the way) and my hairdresser told me if I was a bloke he could have charged me €15 less! I was a bit raging to say the least.

Also, years ago I had a buzz cut and I couldn't get a barber to touch my hair. I still had to go to a regular hairdresser and pay more than your average fella. So I agree, it should be based on time and level of difficulty for the cut etc. and not on gender.

Still raging!!

Bad Santa

Flaker wrote: »

I used to have one of those short haircuts with a long floppy fringe that was sort of unisex

Ah, I loved Flock of Seagulls