Edmonton salon eliminates gender-based haircut pricing

Edmonton's Adara Hair and Body Studio co-owner Jennifer Storey discusses gender-neutral pricing.

An Edmonton salon’s co-owner says she’s going to start charging for haircuts based on the length of time it takes to cut a person’s hair, rather than his or her gender.

Adara Hair and Body Studio’s Jennifer Storey said the move is “all about equality.”

As of March 1, the salon will no longer offer women’s cuts starting at $55 and men’s starting at $35. Instead, the prices will be based on hair length.

The Toronto salon Fuss Hair Studio made a similar change more than a year ago, also in the name of equality.

Instead of charging a flat $45 for men and $60 for women, Fuss’s prices now range from $45 to $85, depending on hair length.

Both salons have voluntarily adopted gender-neutral pricing, but some jurisdictions actually outlaw the practice.

California outlawed gender discrimination in pricing of services in 1995 and was followed by New York City, Massachusetts and Washington D.C, according to the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.

It’s also against the rules in Denmark, where the Equality Board decided in 2012 that a woman was discriminated against by a salon owner who advertised different prices for men’s and women’s haircuts.

France’s Economy Ministry vowed in 2014 to investigate gender discrimination in pricing of services like haircuts after a similar outcry there.

With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Susan Amerongen