Something for the weekend…
Many of us dream of earning the kinds of pay cheques reserved for high-earning Hollywood stars.
However, it seems that even these big hitters are not immune to the impact of the gender pay gap.
According to two-times Oscar winner actress Hilary Swank (pictured), her earnings would be drastically improved if she were a man.
Speaking to students at Loyola Marymount University School of Film and TV, she said: “My male counterpart will get 10 times more than me, 10 times. Not double, but 10 times for the same job.
“We only have this much left for the female actress. I mean there are two genders on this earth. Both are compelling, interesting, diverse, wonderful in all their own separate ways. And yet there’s an influx of male roles and there’s just not for women.”
Recent findings by Forbes magazine, which each year ranks the highest remunerated actors in Hollywood, found that Sandra Bullock, this year’s highest-paid female star, earned $51 million (£32.6 million) over the past 12 months compared to the highest-paid male star Robert Downey Jr who made $75 million.
It also estimated that members of its female top 10 earned just $226 million, compared to the $419 million amassed by the top 10 men between June 2013 and June 2014.
Perhaps more employees need to follow Swank’s lead in naming and shaming employers’ unequal pay practices.