Hollywood loves leading men – and it turns out they pay them much better too. The issue of wage inequality between genders continues to be an issue and these 5 female Hollywood stars have spoken on experiencing it first hand, some even walking away from jobs because they felt the wage gap was so unfair. Fighting for gender equality and fair pay, these stars have spoken out on the subject.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda worked on a big budget film and made much less than her male co-star: “A few years ago, on one of my big-budget films, I found I was being paid 10% of what my male co-star was getting, and we were pretty even in status. I think people think that just because I’m easy-going and game to do things I’ll just take as little as they offer… It’s not about how much you get, it’s about how fair it is.”
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth says she has raised the gender inequality issue in the past: “You were considered ungrateful, you were considered entitled, so I think it’s amazing that women now are saying ‘we’re going to talk about this. This isn’t fair’.”
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer wrote that she has struggled to have her voice heard: “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. I didn’t want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don’t need….But if I’m honest with myself, I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’ At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.'”
Salma Hayek
Salma says many actresses have noticed a wage gap and it has always been an issue: “We have been complaining about the situation of women in this industry for years. I remember many people in Oscar speeches [mentioned] it, but just this year, with the very eloquent speech of Patricia Arquette, finally they heard it! They actually ask you about it! We are talking about it, we are looking for solutions. We are the generation that is going to experience the difference, the transformation.”
Sienna Miller
Sienna revealed she quit a job when she found out about how much less she was offered: “I walked away from a play that I wanted to do because I was offered less than half of what the other man was offered and it was just the two of us. I did what we (women) have to start doing, unfortunately, at the expense of our creative dreams.”
