Is gender-based pricing fair? Some businesses charge men and women different prices for the same service.

• Position: DEBATE

YES

There are some things it's best for government not to get involved in. Meddling in how businesses set their prices is a perfect example.

Sometimes it's completely fair to charge men and women different prices. Those who oppose gender-based pricing will say we all have a "basic civil right" to pay the same thing for the same service. The problem is it's not the same service. Giving a man a buzz cut takes a lot less time than cutting layers into a woman's hair. Cleaning a man's business shirt is a lot easier than laundering a woman's blouse with ruffles or delicate buttons. The differences are built into the prices: It makes sense to charge the women more.

Of course, there are times when it makes sense to charge men more. Nail salons often set prices higher for a man's manicure because their nails tend to be dirtier and require more work. Or consider car insurance. It's more expensive for a teenage boy to get car insurance than it is for a teenage girl. That's not because insurance companies discriminate against young men; it's because they know from experience that young men are more likely to get into accidents and cost them more money.

This is how the free market works: Businesses are free to charge whatever price they think the market will bear for their goods or their services. Consumers, in turn, are free to decide whether to accept those prices or take their business elsewhere.

The bottom line is that it's a bad idea to substitute a consumer's common sense with needless government oversight.

--MIKE DURANT, NEW YORK STATE DIRECTOR National Federation of Independent Business

NO

Since 1998, it's been illegal in New York City to charge different prices to men and women for the same service. In the past few years, the city's Department of Consumer Affairs has written more than a thousand tickets for violations by hair and nail salons and dry cleaners.

While...