Marine Corps Gets Rid of Male-Only Underwear Allowance After Review
4 Mar 2021
Military.com | By Hope Hodge Seck
The Marine Corps has removed a clothing replacement allowance for underwear that was only allotted to men and added a new replacement allowance for female dress pumps following an audit of policy.
A Government Accountability Office report released this month revealed systemic inequities in out-of-pocket clothing and uniform costs for male and female service members -- a reality colloquially known as the "Pink Tax." The watchdog organization found that some enlisted women paid more than $8,000 out of pocket over the course of a career for clothing, while some men actually ended up with allowance overages they could pocket. The disparity, the GAO found, was largely the result of the higher costs of some women's uniform items, and costs of essentials not included in clothing calculations that were higher across the board for women.
The investigation also prompted the individual military services to review their own policies and calculations. For the Marine Corps, this resulted in the discovery of inequity and a move to change.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/04/marine-corps-gets-rid-of-male-only-underwear-allowance-after-review.html
