Hollywood stars address pay gap issue

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Hollywood stars address pay gap issue The issue of the gender pay gap is an ongoing hot topic in Hollywood. The current highest-paid actress and Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence recently wrote an impassioned essay about wage inequality in the film industry. It caused a stir and has resulted in movie stars, both male and female, being quizzed on the issue of male actors earning more money than their female counterparts. Lawrence’s American Hustle’ co-star Bradley Cooper says he is willing to negotiate salaries with his female cast members in the future and would be happy to reveal his earnings per movie if it helps address the issue. While her ‘X-Men’ co-star James McAvoy agrees all actors should receive the right pay, but doesn’t think there’s a need to divulge their net worth just to nail the point. “I don’t want to start putting figures on actors’ heads, because it’s not what we do,” says the Scottish actor. “I do realise there’s a massive discrepancy with how women get paid to men, but I’m not comfortable telling the world how much money I’ve got in the bank. I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that if I was a plumber, and I’m not comfortable doing it as an actor. But I get it, Jennifer kicked this off and I respect that lassie so much.” Actress Kate Winslet agrees it’s inappropriate to talk about finances so publicly: “I’m having such a problem with these conversations. 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?” Another of Lawrence’s former cast mates, Jeremy Renner claims money doesn’t motivate him and he leaves negotiations to others: “I don’t know contracts and money and all that sort of stuff. I’m a performer and I know human behaviour. I let others deal with that. I do what I’m good at, that’s what I focus on.” But English actor Daniel Radcliffe says it’s time for action to end the practice. He says: “What I find weird about the whole ‘American Hustle’ thing was Jen, rightly so, was aggrieved that she was paid less, but it’s even more shocking that Amy Adams (the other female star) was. “The fact that the boys were on one deal and the girls were on another deal was weird. What guy, sitting in a studio somewhere, was going, ‘Hey, let’s bill the girls out of some money, that’s where we can save a few’. The fact that mentality still exists is slightly shocking to me and as a very liberal, progressive industry, we need to sort that out.” Radcliffe has recently praised ‘Harry Potter’ friend Emma Watson for the HeforShe campaign initiated by UN Women that encourages men to support women’s rights. “I think it’s fantastic that she’s bringing attention to it and adding to the conversation,” he says. “I also find it bemusing, honestly, maybe because I have cool parents with a very equal marriage and have had good role models all my life, but I thought this was done.” Women in the MENA workplace The online job site Bayt.com and market researcher YouGov recently released the survey-based study ‘First Jobs for Young Women in the Middle East & North Africa’, which provides insight about the challenges and factors that discourage young women in securing their first job in the region. The findings include: The GCC tends to have lower proportions of female employees, with 66 per cent of respondents indicating their offices are made up of at most 25 per cent women. The public or government sector was the most popular choice for jobseekers (38 per cent), while small or medium local private companies hold little appeal to young women (6 per cent). In reality, only 16 per cent of women are actually working in the government sector, with the largest proportion (41 per cent) in local private companies. When compared to other regions in MENA, those in the GCC were most likely to face societal pressures when looking for a job, with young female jobseekers in the GCC being most likely to select ‘lack of gender segregated environment’ (32 per cent). They also cited ‘transportation/ commute difficulties’ (68 per cent) as important challenges when securing a job. The vast majority of young women and employers in MENA indicated they personally support policies to drive the employment of young women, with more than 80 per cent of young women and nearly 70 per cent of employers stating support.   glaiza@7days.ae Read the original story at: Hollywood stars address pay gap issue