Get your Twitter hashtags at the ready – today is equal pay day, because as ridiculous as it is, there’s still quite a difference to be addressed when it comes to the gender pay gap.
The difference between women’s and men’s average weekly full-time earnings is currently sitting at 15.3% in Australia, and has stayed between 15% and 19% for the past two decades.
With women making up 45.6% of the Aussie workforce in 2015, there’s nothing that can justify equally qualified women in the same positions being paid less than their male counterparts; $251.20 less a week to be precise, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
Hollywood is a stellar example of where women are blatantly paid less than men performing the exact same tasks. To celebrate equal pay day, we’ve compiled a list of celebs speaking out about the gender pay gap.
“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”.” Jennifer Lawrence addresses the Sony Hack on Lenny Letter
“In my career so far, I’ve needed my male costars to take a pay cut so that I may have parity with them. And that’s something they do for me because they feel it’s what’s right and fair. If my male co-star, who has a higher quote than me but believes we are equal, takes a pay cut so that I can match him, that changes my quote in the future and changes my life.” Emma Stone
“Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar. In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar. I don’t think women and men are more or less capable. We just have a clear issue with women not having opportunities. We need to be part of the solution, not perpetuating the problem.” – Natalie Portman
“We are not supposed to talk about money, because people will think you’re ‘difficult’ or a ‘diva’. But there’s a willingness now to be like, ‘Fine. Call me a ‘diva’, call me a ‘feminazi’, call me ‘difficult’, call me a ‘First World feminist’, call me whatever you want, it’s not going to stop me from trying to do the right thing and make sure that the right thing happens. Whether you are a woman on a tea plantation in Kenya, or a stockbroker on Wall Street, or a Hollywood actress, no one is being paid equally.” – Emma Watson
“There’s a double standard in the whole world, yeah, for sure. This is just one aspect. Anytime there’s a place where a voice can come out and be outspoken—something Sienna did, or Jennifer—that’s great . . . I think it is making a difference.” – Bradley Cooper
“There’s no excuse. There’s no reason why [an actress such as Lawrence] should be doing a film with other actors and get paid less than her male costars. It’s completely unfair. It’s not right. It’s been happening for years and years and years. I think it’s brave to talk about it. I think everyone should talk about it.” – Jessica Chastain
“Today, women make up half of the U.S. workforce, but the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. Men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers and sisters earn more — commensurate with their qualifications and not their gender. Equality will be achieved when men and women are granted equal pay and equal respect.” – Beyonce
“It was a play with just two of us onstage and I was offered less than half of what he was going to be paid. If it was two men, it wouldn’t probably happen. Sad, but I walked away . . . The only way is to make a stand. We are going to have to make sacrifices to make change. I want to turn up and feel dignified.” – Sienna Miller
“A few years ago, on one of my big-budget films, I found I was being paid 10 percent of what my male costar was getting, and we were pretty even in status. I think people think because I’m easygoing and game to do things, I’ll just take as little as they offer. But it’s not about how much you get, it’s about how fair it is.” – Amanda Seyfried
“I realize that some people may not sympathize with an actress who gets to be in movies and on TV for a living. But if you take away names and vocations, the fact is that in 2015 a man is still getting paid more money to do the same job a woman does, in Hollywood and everywhere else. And no matter where you live or what you do, that’s bullshit.” – Judy Greer
Every single interviewer asked, “Isn’t this an amazing time for women in comedy?” People really wanted us to be openly grateful — “Thank you so much!” — and we were like, “No, it’s a terrible time. If you were to really look at it, the boys are still getting more money for a lot of garbage, while the ladies are hustling and doing amazing work for less.” – Tina Fey
“I have to be honest with you. I believe in equal pay, first of all. I’m sorry, if a woman does the same job as a man, she should be paid the same amount of money. She just should. That’s just the way the world should work. What are you telling your daughter when she grows up? “You’ve got to just understand that you’re a girl. You have a vagina, so that’s not as valuable.” What are you telling her?” – Viola Davis
“Women don’t get equal pay, there are not as many women in government positions or business positions. It’s just not equal. And until there is equality, you’re going to feel that, in any industry. But I was like, girls should have an equal seat at the table. Take Jennifer Lawrence. I mean, she’s opening films — she’s the box-office draw just as much as any guy, if not more. She should be compensated for that.” – Jessica Alba
“I know we’re focused on the money part right now. That’s just a by-product. I keep saying, ‘Why is it that no one is standing up and saying you can’t say that about a woman?’ We’re mocked and judged in the media and articles. Really, how men are described in articles versus women, there’s a big difference.” – Sandra Bullock
RELATED: This Melbourne Cafe Has Addressed The Gender Pay Gap In A Brilliant Way
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