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Feisty Females Furious Over Gender Pay Gap in Film
Other | Friday 13th November 2015 |
Gender pay gap statistics
Women are effectively working for free from 9th November until the end of the year according to statistics revealed by the Fawcett society, based on the hourly pay for full time workers.
The gap between men and women’s earnings is at its lowest level since records began, official figures show. Men now earn 17.5 per cent more than women on average per hour, a fall of around two percentage points in a year. This means that women now earn 82p for every £1 earned by a man.
The office for National Statistics has also revealed that with the slow progress made in closing the gender pay gap means that it would take 54 years to reach equal pay between both genders.
That means as a woman, I can expect to be out earned by male colleagues for my entire career based only on my genitals. By the time my potential offspring are working, my daughter will still be earning less than others of equal ability in the same field.
Gender pay gap in the film industry
Nowhere is the pay gap more prevalent than within the film industry.
Forbes crunched the 2013 numbers and showed that among the mega rich who fill seats at the Oscars, men go home with millions more cash to splash than women.
The men on Forbes’ list of top-paid actors for that year made two and a half times more money as the top-paid actresses. That means that Hollywood’s v’s made just 40 cents for every dollar made by those blessed with d’s. No wonder things are kicking off in the home of Hollywood’s finest females.
The world’s highest paid actress, Jennifer Lawrence, came forward about the pay gap in an essay to Lena Durham, where she stated; ‘When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early.’
Jennifer Lawrence
Turns out that world’s highest-paid actress, Lawrence, made $52 million in the 12 months to June 2015—not bad. Her counterpart, however, Robert Downey Junior, made $80million.
That’s the difference between buying the world’s most expensive car, a Ferrari GTO at $52million, or being able to buy a Ferrari GTO and then maybe a couple of Bentleys on top. I mean, who wants to drive the same flash car every day right? Got to mix it up, obvs.
All jokes aside, the gender pay gap only highlights a small part of gender inequality faced in the film industry. Lawrence goes on to describe the backlash she faced after coming forward about the distinct difference in pay:
‘Again, this might have NOTHING to do with my vagina, but I wasn’t completely wrong when another leaked Sony email revealed a producer referring to a fellow lead actress in a negotiation as a “spoiled brat.” For some reason, I just can’t picture someone saying that about a man.'
Kate Winslet
In contrast to feisty Lawrence, Kate Winslet has been whingeing about the ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘vulgar’ conversation about money, declaring: ‘“I understand why they are coming up but maybe it’s a British thing. I don’t like talking about money; it’s a bit vulgar isn’t it?”
Surely, Winslet, it is more vulgar that we have to have this conversation at all?
I don’t recall men feeling ‘uncomfortable’ discussing any topic in business. As Lawrence goes on to explain in her essay, she feels that she must be careful to avoid ‘scaring’ or ‘offending’ men in her attempts to gain equality.
‘Are we socially conditioned to behave this way? We’ve only been able to vote for what, 90 years?....Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn’t “offend” or “scare” men?’
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep has also come forward about the gender pay gap and gender inequality in film generally, after playing the role of Emmeline Pankhurst in the ‘Suffragette’ film based on the suffragettes journey in gaining the vote in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The 'Suffragette' actress thinks it's important men and women become equal, but she explained the reason there is a gender pay gap is because the top film distributors and buyers are all male, therefore men are given priority over women within the industry.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock feels that the pay gap is just a by-product of gender inequality within film, and describes the difference in the way women and men are interviewed on the red carpet:
“I always make a joke: 'Watch, we’re going to walk down the red carpet, I’m going to be asked about my dress and my hair while the man standing next to me will be asked about his performance and political issues.” Enough said.
Victoria’s secret model
An example of this can be seen in the Victoria’s secrets model Magdalena Frackowiak response to a reporter asking ‘What will you eat after the show?’ to which she responded:
‘Ask more smart questions, not eating after the show. No but you make me look like an idiot. It seems like I’m starving myself and I can’t wait for the show to end to eat’. Cue sassy eye roll and general terrifying looks. Bye reporter.
Fun and informative info graphic from New York Film Academy on Gender inequality on film
Katrina Quick
