Café Charges Men 18 Percent Premium To Reflect Gender Pay Gap

A sign outside Handsome Her, a new Australian café, lists their house rules: "Rule #1: Women have priority seating; #2: Men will be charged an 18% premium to reflect the gender pay gap (2016) which is donated to a women's service; Rule #3: Respect goes both ways."

Café owner Alex O'Brien says the goal of the premium is to raise awareness and to prompt a conversation about the wage gap, as reported by Today's Dylan Dreyer. O'Brien noted that the tax is optional, and that she wouldn't turn anyone away who refused to pay it. So far, though, she says no one has turned down the added fee.

Today did a poll of their own where they asked viewers if they agreed with the café's tax implementation. Sixty-nine percent of voters did not approve. But on the contrary, a Handsome Her Facebook post says that they'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."

The café has only been open less than a week, and some Twitter users are already skeptical about whether the business will sink or sail, but O'Brien has already succeeded in creating a conversation about the gender pay gap.

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