This cafe is charging a 'man tax' - and their incredible sign explains why

The gender pay gap debate is an issue that is unlikely to go away any time soon.

One cafe owner in Melbourne, Australia has adopted an interesting take on the pay gap, by charging men more.

Alex O'Brien who runs the Handsome Her vegan cafe is now charging her male customers at an 18 per cent mark up, whilst women pay the standard amount.

If you are still confused as to why they are doing this take a look at their thought provoking sign.

Alex claims that so far she hasn't encountered any problems.

All the men who have been asked to pay more haven't argued against the price increase, with all proceeds going towards various Australian women's charities.

The scheme is only in place at the cafe once a month and Alex believes that it has helped men contemplate the privileges they experience in the work place.

She is quoted by The Mirror as saying:

We’re bringing it [the gender pay gap] to the forefront of people's minds. I like that it is making men stop and question their privilege a little bit.

One of my friends who works for a not-for-profit women's service was talking about the pay gap and I thought it was a good idea, so we decided that one week every month we would charge men an 18 per cent premium, which we will donate.

Whilst she is yet to encounter any strong objections to the initiative, Alex has assured any men that they will not be asked to leave if they refuse to pay the extra amount.

If men don't want to pay it, we're not going to kick them out the door. It's just an opportunity to do some good.

If you are wondering why Alex chose the specific number of 18 per cent, it is a reflection of the pay gap in Australia which was reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistic last year.

This data showed that Australian women only earned 82 per cent of what men were receiving on a yearly basis.

A recent study by The Economist showed that there was an average 28.6 per cent pay gap between men and women in all jobs in the UK, which gradually declined depending on the level of the position and the company.

HT Yahoo Mirror BBC The Economist

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