Gender pricing and service duration: evidence from European salons

I examine how prices for women’s and men’s haircuts vary with appointment length across 33,682 listings from salons in ten European countries. Comparing a single average price for each gender obscures how salons structure their menus, since average duration differs by gender. Across all adult listings, women’s haircuts cost €9.1 more on average. When comparing men’s and women’s haircuts of the exact same listed duration within the same salon, the difference is €5.3. Within duration categories, the estimated gap is €3.6 for appointments up to 30 minutes, compared with €11.9 for appointments between 46 and 60 minutes. Because salons decide how much time to list for each service, my estimates only reflect posted menu prices and do not prove price discrimination.