If you think the gender pay gap only exists on Wall Street or in managerial positions – think again. Unequal pay between the sexes is prevalent everywhere, even in Hollywood.
In the annual Forbes List of highest paid actors, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson takes the top spot at $64.5 million, while Jennifer Lawrence takes the top spot for women at $46 million (Lawrence would be number 6 over-all). The pay of Lawrence is about 72% of what it is for Johnson.
Is this a surprise? I don’t think so.
Almost every wage survey conducted reports that men far out-earn women. While the exact amount differs depending upon the study and the profession examined, the overall consensus is that woman earn about 79% of what men make, a staggering 21% difference.
If you’re a male and think this wage difference doesn’t matter, imagine this: how would you feel if one day your salary was suddenly cut by 21%? Alternatively, how about if your company announced a new policy that all females would receive an immediate salary increase so that they would make 21% more than you?
Back to Hollywood.
In addition to the wage gap, there also appears to be a significant age bias in the earnings of top stars. The ten top-earning male actors were all over age 40, while only half of the top-earning actresses were over 40. This difference confirms what most movie watchers already know – there are leading actor positions for men who can be almost any age (just ask Harrison Ford, who is 74). For women … not so much.
What Can Be Done if You are the Victim of Unequal Pay or Gender Discrimination
If you believe that you are making far less than males at your workplace because you are a woman, or if you are otherwise being discriminated against because you are a woman or because of your age, call us. Our firm was founded to help working women against unfair and illegal treatment based upon gender, age, or pregnancy.