Why Do Women Pay More at Dry Cleaners and How Do We End This Unfairness?

Most people know that dry cleaners charge more to clean women's clothing than men's. In fact, some dry cleaning shops charge twice as much for women's shirts as they do for men's, on average. For decades, people have raised the issue, calling for gender equality and fair pricing. They ask, "Isn't gender equality what we're advocating for? So why does it cost more to dry clean a women's blouse than a men's shirt?"

So why does this happen? And more importantly, will it ever change?

To truly understand the issue, we must first take a hard look at the reality of gender bias in the clothing care industry.

Gender Bias in Dry Cleaning – Reality or Perception?

Contrary to popular belief, gender bias in the dry cleaning industry is not a deliberate practice. It's not like the "pink tax," where women's shampoo is always more expensive than men's, or a pink razor costs more than a blue one (often intentionally marketed to women at inflated prices).

In the case of dry cleaning, women are charged more for a blouse than a men's shirt because the infrastructure surrounding the dry cleaning process makes it more expensive to clean a women's blouse.

To be precise, the real issue lies in the pressing process, not the cleaning process.

Let's Take a Closer Look at the Pressing Process:

The Machine Used to Press Button-Down Shirts Doesn't Accommodate the Form of a Women's Blouse

A standard pressing machine can press up to 60 shirts per hour.

These machines are typically designed to fit the standard shape of men's shirts but are not suitable for women's blouses because, for obvious reasons, women's blouses have more shape. In fact, most pressing machines in Singapore today cannot accommodate women's blouses at all. As a result, they need to be treated separately and pressed by hand.

Since many dry cleaners have not invested in unisex or specialized machines for pressing women's blouses (due to the high cost), it becomes more expensive to press a women's blouse.

Women's Clothing Is Often More Delicate and Detailed, Requiring More Care

Women's clothing tends to be more intricate than men's. Delicate fabrics, hand-sewn embellishments, high-low shirttail hems, relaxed silhouettes, and special cuts—these all require more attention. Even a simple cotton button-down shirt may demand additional care, with some places insisting on hand-pressing for all women's shirts.

As a result, dry cleaners that charge the same for men's and women's shirts may actually operate at a loss when processing women's items.

How Do Other Dry Cleaners Handle This?

The solution for many dry cleaners is straightforward: inflate the price for men's shirts to subsidize the cost of cleaning and pressing women's blouses. Since men tend to dry clean shirts more frequently than women, dry cleaners can generate significant profits from this markup. Ultimately, it's the customers who end up paying more.

Some dry cleaners may attempt to charge a lower price for women's shirts in the hopes that customers will bring in other garments for cleaning, generating enough volume to offset the loss. However, without sufficient volume or accurate business forecasting, some dry cleaners go under, leaving customers high and dry—and again, customers suffer.

What About My Locker Laundry?

At My Locker Laundry, we don't believe in overcharging for men's shirts or intentionally making a loss on women's garments. We're committed to providing a win-win solution that's sustainable in the long run.

We've invested in modern technology and redesigned our workflow by collaborating with our commercial partners to develop innovative solutions that help reduce costs. As a result, we've been able to save on rental and manpower expenses—and we pass those savings directly to you.

Thanks to these innovations, we've been able to significantly reduce our overheads. With My Locker Laundry's convenient service, you simply drop off your laundry, tap our app within 3 clicks, and we'll handle the rest. Not only will you save valuable time, but you'll also enjoy savings of over 40% on dry cleaning compared to other services like Presto, Laundryheap, or For the love of Laundry.

Try our service today!

Visit our website to learn more: www.mylockerlaundry.com