Analyzing the Gender Pay Disparity in the Hollywood Film Industry

This essay delves into the persistent gender pay gap within the Hollywood film industry, highlighting the significant salary disparities between male and female actors. It examines the factors contributing to this inequality, including negotiation tactics, stereotypes, and the lack of pay transparency. The essay analyzes specific cases, such as the pay disparity between Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams, and Jennifer Lawrence's experience, to illustrate the issue. It explores the impact on actresses, the role of organizations like SAG-AFTRA, and the potential solutions such as pay transparency and the support of male actors. The essay also discusses the influence of movements like MeToo and Time's Up in amplifying women's voices and advocating for change, as well as the importance of increasing female representation in filmmaking to achieve equity and diversity. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for continued efforts to address the gender pay gap and promote equal compensation for all actors, regardless of gender.

Introduction:
Despite decades of work to narrow the gender pay gap, americans continue to face a significant salary
disadvantage. Per each dollar of income by a man, women in the United States get an average yearly
pay disparity of $10,194," according to statistics from the US Census Bureau (Roepe 4). Although the
2018 World Economic Forum research forecasted that it will take 208 years to achieve equal pay for
women and men, if regulations do not change (Roepe 4). The gender wage disparity impacts many
sectors, and regrettably, Hollywood is not an aberration to this rule.
Hollywood when talking about genders:
The brutal reality of low - income and minority and overworked female actors and actresses lies beyond
Hollywood's glamour and elegance. It has been shown that women earn $1.1 million less per year than
male performers of comparable experience and stature (Sanchez). Several well-known actresses have
recently come out to speak out against the gender pay disparity in Hollywood and call for reform. SAG-
AFTRA or the Screen Performers Guild should implement a policy forcing managers and studios to
provide pay transparency for all actors in order to narrow this discrepancy.
During the 2017 film All the Money in the World reshoots, it was discovered that Mark Wahlberg got
$1.5 million while his co-star Michelle Williams earned less than $1,000. This sparked a current
discussion about the gender pay disparity in Hollywood. Williams' compensation was just $650,000, but
Wahlberg's was $5 million.
There was an uproar from the general public and other actresses who felt cheated by the studio over
this. As a consequence, Wahlberg contributed $1.5 million to Time's Up, an anti-sexual harassment
campaign spearheaded by women in the entertainment industry. As if this wasn't bad enough, both
actors work for the same agency.
This shows that the female salary difference in Hollywood is not just due to representation and
performance, but also to the industry's image. As a four-time Oscar nominee (Desta), Wahlberg was
utilized to entice viewers to see All the Money in the World, while Williams was marketed as Oscar bait.
However, neither actor received a salary to reflect their roles as Oscar bait. Behind closed doors, the
reputation is what matters most in this business.
It is common knowledge that male actors like Wahlberg (known as a "tough negotiator") bargain their
salary, whereas female performers prefer to accept their salaries in fear of being dubbed sexist,
stereotyped word "diva" or "difficult," which might result in a lack of work offers. Contrary to popular
belief, the gender pay gap is not the result of a lack of negotiating tenacity on the part of women;
rather, it is the result of studios underpaying their female employees.
Pay transparency would allow actors and actresses to see the salary of their co-stars, putting pressure
on production companies to pay their actors and actresses on an equal basis. With no fear of judgment,
actors would be able to bargain more easily. An equitable pay solution may be found in the industry's
readiness and openness to talk money.
Four years before, Jennifer Lawrence had a similar experience with the Hollywood gender salary
disparity, much like Mark Wahlberg and Kerry Washington. At $52 million, Lawrence became the world's

highest-paid actress in 2015. (Berg). However, Robert Downey Jr., the year's highest-paid actor, raked
home an impressive $80 million (Berg).
After the Sony Pictures breach in 2014, this compensation disparity was no longer a secret to Lawrence.
According to leaked emails, Lawrence and her co-star Amy Adams only earned a 7% share of the 2013
film American Hustle's revenues, while Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner each received
a 9% piece (Berg). Lawrence and Adams were in the same boat as their male counterparts when it came
to awards show bait and box office draw, but they earned much less.
By enabling other actresses to share their tales, Lawrence was a catalyst for the discussion and a source
of inspiration. According to her, "I didn't become furious at Sony when the Sony breach occurred and I
found out how much less I got paid than the fortunate individuals." I was enraged with myself" (Staff).
In Hollywood, there is a recurring stereotype of docile women who prefer to remain mute rather than
fight for their value. It's clear that Hollywood is to blame for the lack of female protagonists in many of
its films. "I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early," Lawrence said, taking full responsibility for his
actions. Finally, "I didn't want to look 'difficult' or'spoiled,'" she said. At first, it sounded like a good idea,
but when I checked the paycheck online, I found that none of the men I worked with were concerned
about being "difficult" or "spoiled" (Staff).
Actors' salaries are decided during wage negotiations. Companies such as Sony Pictures should provide
pay transparency to close the wage gap and make it easier for movie stars to bargain for higher incomes
since they can see what their co-stars make.
There have been a number of actresses who have spoken out about their own experiences as a
consequence of Lawrence's article in 2015. "You were considered ungrateful, you were considered
entitled, so I think it's great that women today are saying 'we're going to speak about this,'" Paltrow
agreed with Lawrence on the challenge of standing up for one's worth. This isn’t fair’”.
While Jack Nicholson received "back-end money" for his performance in Something's Gotta Give, Diane
Keaton didn't, according to the actress (Staff). Back-end money is often paid to actors after a film's
release in order to recognize their "star-power" on the project. Similarly with Lawrence and Adams,
Keaton was anticipated to get a quantity of back-end income, but did not take priority over her male co-
star.
In a 2017 interview in Out Magazine with Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough & Billie Jean King about
equality, Stone explains her experience with equal pay as female actress:
My male co-stars have taken a pay reduction in order for me to have equal compensation with them in
my career so far." And they do it for me because they believe it's proper and equitable to do so. We
don't talk about the fact that in order for us to get equal pay, others will have to selflessly declare:
"That's what's fair." "My life will be changed forever if the male co-star who has a higher quotation than
me but feels we are equal, takes a pay reduction to make me pay him what he wants to" (Out Magazine
Editors).
In order to recruit a certain actor, this "quote" must be met. Because male actors get to star in more
franchises and blockbuster hits, they tend to have greater quotes than female performers, which feeds
into the salary discrepancy that exists between male and female actors. Thus, men actors must help

their female co-stars by admitting the disparity using the suggested pay transparency system to be able
to bargain and take a portion of the money to achieve pay parity.
Actresses, on the other hand, have taken their protests to award ceremonies to address the gender pay
discrepancy with CEOs and the general public. In her feisty and emotional Best Supporting Actress
speech, Patricia Arquette said, "It's our time to have pay equality for once and for all.
Reese Witherspoon initiated a call to action at the 2015 American Cinematheque Awards saying
“Women make up 50 percent of the population, and we should be portraying 50 percent of the parts on
the screen”.
The gender pay gap in the film business may be reduced if more women are cast in leading roles. Even
Meryl Streep, the reigning queen of Hollywood, said that she was frustrated by the fact that she was
paid less than her male co-stars (Staff). The echo of these women’s feelings and battles will remain until
equal pay is realized.
However, the portrayal of women both on and off the silver screen is difficult to ignore. "A 2016 survey
found that just 28.7% of all movie speaking roles went to women, and even fewer of those roles go to
women of color" (Robehmed). Women made up 12 percent of directors, 20 percent of writers, 26
percent of producers, 19 percent of executives, 2 percent of cinematographers, and 23 percent of
editors among Hollywood's top 100 grossing films of 2019. (Lauzen).
Hollywood pacts are defined by a mix of power and precedent in a system where industry-wide
assumptions have historically benefited white males, which is why the lack of diversity is so concerning
(Rose). Increasing the number of female filmmakers, particularly those from underrepresented groups
like women of color, is a certain way to bring equity and diversity to the film industry as a whole. There
will be more women behind the scenes to guarantee that the voices of their actors are heard and that
they are compensated fairly. "The whole system is geared to deter [women] from asking for more," said
America Ferrera in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. When I've had to ask for anything, I've
had to persuade my agents to do so with me, and they've said, "We don't believe you should ask for
that.""
Negotiations, or the lack thereof, have often been a stumbling block to wage parity. However, Patty
Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman, demonstrated the method to be incorrect. Her management
team was able to get a one million dollar contract after directing the box office smash (Rose). It opened
to rave reviews from audiences and reviewers alike upon its release, and Jenkins was paid "somewhere
between $7 million and $9 million plus backend to develop and direct the sequel" as a result (Rose). As
the most paid female filmmaker in history, Jenkins battled for the picture and her payment from Warner
Bros. (Rose). In order for the women they represent to be supported, management teams, agencies and
studios must work together. Finally, if female voices are heard, the business might be transformed.
The MeToo and Time's Up movements, which arose in 2018, have given women's voices a much-needed
boost in volume and recognition. Even while these campaigns are recognized for their efforts to combat
sexual harassment, they are also raising attention to the gender pay disparity.
Time's Up kicked up a campaign named "Time's Up Pay Up" on April 1st, 2019 to start a dialogue about
the salary disparity between men and women (Franklin). Hollywood allies ICM Partners and CAA have
offered their support to Time's Up's goal of gender parity in the workplace by 2020. (Franklin).

Campaigns like Time's Up can no longer allow people in this business to sit on the sidelines and do
nothing; instead, they may take action by participating in the movement, either financially or just raising
awareness of the salary disparity.
As a result of the strong backing of Hollywood actresses and the California Commission on the Status of
Women and Girls, Time's Up will be able to convince the California legislature to strengthen and adopt
new legislation surrounding pay transparency and equality.
As of July 10, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York signed into law a "extension of the state's
current Compensation Equity Law to demand equal pay for "substantially equivalent work," not merely
"equal labor. This means they'll have to examine a wide range of tasks and the abilities and
responsibilities needed to verify that all employees with "substantially equivalent" assignments are paid
the same (Martinez).
To ensure that male and female performers in leading, supporting, or background roles in Hollywood
films are compensated fairly, the Screen Actors Guild might endorse this legislation. For example, how
many days an actor is summoned to set and how much screen time they are given in the final edit may
be used to gauge this. There was a startling compensation disparity between actors like Mark Wahlberg
and Michelle Williams, even though their parts in the picture were "essentially equivalent," to say
nothing of equal importance. Male and female co-stars will be able to share the screen and the equal
number of zeros in their paychecks as a result of this law.
In addition, New York's revised Pay Equity Law stipulates that "gender identity and expression, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, marital status, genetic features and age, among others" are all protected categories
in addition to gender in New York (Martinez). This part of the law is vital to embrace as Hollywood
diversifies by recruiting more transgender and non-binary performers. SAG-AFTRA actors, as well as any
actors protected by the union, are entitled to the same opportunities and compensation for their
performance. After signing an extra law that "bans companies from "requiring or searching" for an
employee's pay and wage history, Cuomo also signed an auxiliary bill that entered into effect on January
6, 2020." (Martinez).
To eliminate the "quote" scheme and low-ball discussions involving female performers, studios will not
have full rights to their prior pay if this law is adopted by the Hollywood studios. It will be easier for
actors and their agents to negotiate a reasonable compensation if each new job comes with a clean slate
rather than a history of poor pay hanging over them.
When it comes to the entertainment industry, women are often ignored and discriminated against.
There will be a $1-4 million compensation disparity between men and women in Hollywood as long as
no legislation is in place that all studios must follow (Sanchez). A pay history prohibition would have a
different impact in Hollywood than it would in the rest of the country's 9 to 5 occupations. In truth,
Jennifer Lawrence's scandal originated from the premise that she was unaware of the salary of her male
co-stars until they were leaked to the media.
Decisions taken behind closed doors and beneath the table in such a volatile, money-hungry enterprise
as the entertainment industry are to blame. As a result, executives and studios in Hollywood who are
members of SAG-AFTRA would do their performers the most good by implementing a pay transparency

policy. In the future, each employee would be able to see how much they are paid based on the amount
and quality of effort they put in.
Conclusion:
This would compel studios to fix the salary difference between men and women if it were combined
with the constant female-driven voices calling for equality. The hard-working actresses of La-La Land
may finally be able to have equal opportunity and equal remuneration in Hollywood.
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Simon, S.J., 2019. Hollywood power brokers: Gender and racial inequality in talent agencies. Gender,
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