Quick Hit: The economics of “Ladies drink free”

Ever wondered why it is that some night clubs charge women less for entry than they charge men, or let them drink for free? Is it because these establishments are aware of the gender pay gap and are trying to exercise a little after-hours affirmative action? Is it because they are deeply invested in the theory of gender analysis developed by Lauper in the late 1980s, i.e., that girls just want to have fun?

No. It is because they think that guys will pay for access to drunk girls. In other words, sexism! (Is it also sexist to charge men one rate and women another? Why yes, it is! Sexism hurts everyone!)

Jamie Keiles over at Teenagerie has figured out how to maximize your sexism at your next Ladies Drink Free night. For example, how much should you charge gay guys? What about ugly ladies? What about straight couples? Keiles, who is clearly an economics major, breaks it down for you.

New York, NY

Chloe Angyal is a journalist and scholar of popular culture from Sydney, Australia. She joined the Feministing team in 2009. Her writing about politics and popular culture has been published in The Atlantic, The Guardian, New York magazine, Reuters, The LA Times and many other outlets in the US, Australia, UK, and France. She makes regular appearances on radio and television in the US and Australia. She has an AB in Sociology from Princeton University and a PhD in Arts and Media from the University of New South Wales. Her academic work focuses on Hollywood romantic comedies; her doctoral thesis was about how the genre depicts gender, sex, and power, and grew out of a series she wrote for Feministing, the Feministing Rom Com Review. Chloe is a Senior Facilitator at The OpEd Project and a Senior Advisor to The Harry Potter Alliance. You can read more of her writing at chloesangyal.com

Chloe Angyal is a journalist and scholar of popular culture from Sydney, Australia.

Read more about Chloe

Join the Conversation