Not only are women being paid less than their male counterparts, a new study just released says that women pay more for similar products, just because they are marketed to the female gender, according to an article on qz.com.

The study, from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), found a significant inequality in men’s and women’s pricing of products, and concluded that women are paying seven percent more on average for similar products.

The researchers looked at almost 800 products that were offered in male and female versions, encompassing over 90 brands at two dozen retailers in the New York area, but reviewed the prices in-store as well as online, meaning the price gaps are likely to be across the nation.

Personal care products for women, items such as razors and hair care products,  had the biggest difference in pricing as compared to men’s personal care, with the women’s versions costing an average of 15 percent more than the men’s.

The study focused on consumer products across the person’s life cycle, from toys for children, to adult personal care products, and even senior products, including canes and support braces, and tried to limit its items to those that were as similar as possible in all aspects except gender.  The DCA also investigated whether the products had differences in quality that may explain the difference in cost, but generally found no major exceptions.

Of the 35 product categories analyzed, only five cost more for men than women.

Experts consulted by the DCA say there are some differences in ingredients from men’s to women’s products, but those differences are not a major factor in the cost gap, adding the largest contributor is the research and development cost, in which the study says females absorb more than the males.

The study also mentioned some products designed for women have special ingredients that for the most part don’t actually make the product work any better, adding these ingredients yield no significant benefit to the consumer, but they enable a brand to advertise the additional ingredient and its potential benefits.

In short, the reason for the differences appears to be women are willing to pay more for the same products, and therefore they are charged more.

The DCA notes there are some products with legitimate reasons for being more expensive, but in general women can not avoid paying higher prices, unless they are willing to shop out of the women’s sections in the stores.