It's expensive to be a woman in this country. Collectively, we fork over $426 billion a year on our hair, nails, and beauty products. But glamour aside, for services that we all need - like insurance, housing and healthcare, - women are still paying more than men.

I tapped Lea Goldman, Features and Special Projects Director at Marie Claire Magazine, whose article, "Why Women Pay More" exposes the harsh realities of price discrimination.

"The state of California found, on average, that women were paying a markup of about $1,351 that men weren't having to pay for the same goods and services," she says. "We looked at women cross the country...and found that on average women pay $151 billion in extra fees and markups that men don't have to pay."

Some of those items that are more expensive for women include everyday toiletries, such as disposable razors, shaving creams, shampoos and soaps - all dressed in prettier packaging, but functionally identical to those sold to men. Acco