The Handsome Her cafe in Brunswick is taking a stand against gender pay disparity by charging an 18 percent premium to men – addressing the gender pay gap head on by charging blokes an optional ‘man tax’.
With women also offered priority seating, proceeds from the premium go to non-for-profits, including Elizabeth Morgan House Aboriginal Women’s Services – providing a range of support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who are enduring family violence.
While the premium is optional to pay, the response from customers has been resoundingly supportive.
“We’ve had men travel across town to visit us and pay ‘the man tax’ and throw some extra in the donation jar – guys, you’re pretty neat,” said Handsome Her via a Facebook post.
“Yesterday and today we were jam-packed with customers showing their support. I had a woman bring her daughters in today and when she came up to the till and saw our gorgeous vulva stones and our period sticker packs she beamed, thanked us for what we were doing and said, ‘What a beautiful place to take my daughters’. I swelled with pride.”
