Parents are forking out more for clothes and toys aimed at girls than boys

Researchers have uncovered a gender price gap in kids' clothes and toys - with some items costing up to a third more than those for the opposite sex. A study found that many high street brands including Asda, Marks and Spencer and Argos charge significantly more for apparently identical products.Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) of parents reckon girls' clothes cost more than boys. For example, a blue and green striped jacket from George at Asda costs £8-£9 for 1-6-year-olds but rises to £10-£12 for a pink one - an increase of up to 33 per cent. A pack of boys' briefs in Marks and Spencer will set parents back £4-£7, while the same number of girls' briefs will amount to £6-£8. It is not just clothes - a pair of blue inline roller skates in Argos cost £7.99 while the pink pair rises to £10.99, equating to around 37 per cent more. But girls aren't always paying more, with a pair of white skinny jeans from River Island priced at £20 for boys but just £16 for girls, a 25 per cent increase. The research was carried out by parenting site ChannelMum.com ahead of International Women's Day on March 8. Gender gap A survey to accompany the price study found that two thirds of parents have noticed a gender price gap on clothing, starting from the age of 12 months. Over half (58 per cent) of parents reckon they have to pay more for accessories aimed at young girls while 52 per cent believe the cost of a girl's coat is often higher than one for a boy. T-shirts and tops (37 per cent), nightwear (21 per cent) and underwear (17 per cent) are also among the items of clothing parents believe are priced higher for girls. By contrast, boys are charged more for shoes, noticed by 28 per cent of parents, and jeans (44 per cent). On average, girls' items were priced at 21 per cent higher than the equivalent item for boys, but the items where boys were charged more averaged just 13.5 per cent more expensive. Previous studies have shown adult women are regularly charged more for items ranging from razors to dry cleaning in a move called the 'pink tax' - with the same average price gap of 21 per cent as female toddlers and young girls. MPs have debated clamping down on the practice for adults and now a huge 97 per cent of the 1,156 parents polled by ChannelMum.com want gender-based pricing for children's items stamped out too. Fifty-five per cent are calling for it to be made illegal, while 42 per cent back a voluntary code of conduct for retailers and manufacturers. 'Rip-off' Almost three in five think gender pricing is simply a 'rip off' by retailers designed to hit parents, with 55 per cent claiming stores believe parents will pay more for girls' items. A further 56 per cent believe retailers make it difficult to compare prices by dividing items into 'boys' and 'girls' sections, with 37 per cent saying they would back moves to make all kids' items 'gender-neutral'. As a result, a third of mums and dads are shunning stores which use gender-based pricing and 22 per cent have 'named and shamed' firms using gender-based pricing on social media. However, 15 per cent also believe stores are beginning to end gender-pricing discrimination as parents are becoming wise to the practice. Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com, said: "Treating baby girls as a commodity to be exploited aged just 12 months old is terrible. "The so-called 'pink tax' is bad enough for adult women but a pink tax for tots is just plain wrong. "There's simply no justification for charging more based on gender. An item which is the same or similar should have the same or a similar price tag, regardless of which gender wears or uses it. "Luckily parents are becoming more and more aware of the practise which should mean more firms becoming reluctant to do it." GENDER PRICE DIFFERENCES: GIRLS PAY MORE: COATAdsa - Boys - Shower Resistant Striped Hooded Jacket (1-6 years) £8-£9Asda - Girls - Cat and Dog Print Hooded Mac (1-6years) £10-£12PRICE DIFFERENCE: £2-£3Girls pay up to 33 per cent moreT-SHIRTMatalan - Boys - Slogan Epic Vibes T-Shirt (4-13yrs) £3.50 to £4.50Matalan - Girls - Slogan T-Shirt (4-13yrs) £4 to £5PRICE DIFFERENCE: 50pGirls pay up to 11 per cent moreTOYSArgos - Boys - Zinc Inline Roller Skates in Blue - 13-3 - Blue £7.99Argos - Girls - Zinc Inline Roller Skates - Pink - 13-3 £10.99PRICE DIFFERENCE: £3Girls pay up to 37 per centBOYS PAY MORE:SHOESClarks - Boys - Tiny Toby Brown Leather Shoes (Sizes 2 -5) £28Clarks - Girls - Little Gina Plum Leather Shoes (Sizes 2 -5) £26PRICE DIFFERENCE: £2Boys pay 8 per cent moreJEANSRiver Island - Boys - White ripped skinny jeans (ages 5 - 12) £20River Island - Girls - White ripped skinny jeans (ages 5 - 12) £16PRICE DIFFERENCE: £4Boys pay 25 per cent more