Sex Discrimination, and the "Tariff Gap"

From the current U.S. Tariff Schedule for imports:

Bathing suits: 28% tariff on men's imports; 12% on women's.

Overalls: 14% tariff on women's; 9% on men's.

Woven wool shirts: 18% for men's, 37% for women's.

Imported wool suits: 8.5% for women's and zero for a men's.

Hiking boots: 10% for women's, 8.5% for men's.

From the IHT: "There is no apparent pattern to the tariffs, which penalize men in some instances and women in others. But the fees tacked onto clothing, shoes and swimwear as they enter the country's ports may be the last legal form of sex discrimination in the United States, approved year after year by lawmakers and passed on to consumers.

Several major apparel makers are challenging the tariffs in lawsuits against the federal government and they could reclaim close to $1 billion worth of tariffs based on gender differences. For example, the lawsuit claims that the government earned $2.5 million last year from discriminatory tariffs on underpants (penalizing women), $93 million for cotton shirts (penalizing men), $16 million for silk shirts (penalizing women) and $71 million for shoes with leather tops (women again)."

Read more here about the sexist "tariff gap."