As September 1st - and Donald Trump's new tariffs - looms ever closer, this WSJ piece breaks down why it will be women, rather than men, who really feel the impact of the measures.
New Tariffs Will Have Bigger Impact on Women’s Clothing Than Men’s
Some 42% of women’s and girls’ clothing and shoes imported to U.S. in 2018 came from China, compared with 26% of same categories for men and boys
WSJ: Aug. 13, 2019
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration’s next round of tariffs on Chinese imports will for the first time target an array of apparel, and those shopping for women’s and girls’ clothes are more likely to see higher prices.
All Chinese clothing and shoes face tariffs of 10% starting Sept. 1, but the value of women’s and girls’ clothing and shoes imported from the country is more than twice that for men and boys, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
Some 42%, or $23.5 billion, of women’s and girls’ clothing and shoes imported to the U.S. in 2018 came from China, according to the analysis of data from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office and the Census Bureau. For men and boys, the figures were 26% and $10.9 billion, respectively.
One reason more female than male clothing comes from China has to do with how often women make purchases: Women’s fashion changes more frequently, and China’s giant apparel industry has the capability to churn out the latest trends, apparel-industry experts say. The WSJ analysis included clothing ranging from pants and sweaters to undergarments and shoes, where the product description in the tariff list explicitly designates items for men, women, girls or boys. The analysis didn’t include accessories.
The disparity is inevitable because women spend more on clothing—and get more of their clothing from China—than men do, said Tamara Gurevich, an economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission, an agency that advises Congress and the White House on trade matters. Read More