
American star of The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence, has been campaigning for equal pay in Hollywood. While actors and actresses earn a sum that most people can only dream of, her action against the trend of men earning more has been praised.
That’s because it’s a relatable plight that women working across a variety of industries know too well, with the gender pay gap an ongoing issue that prime minister David Cameron has called a “scandal”. The UKCES report found that male workers are paid 19 per cent more than female workers on average. However, of the 90 per cent of sectors where women are underpaid, the financial and insurance industry has the largest divide with females earning as much as 40 per cent less than male counterparts. Dr Vicki Belt, assistant director of UKCES, said: “This research brings home the bleak reality of gender inequality at work in the UK. In spite of women’s real achievements in education, the gender pay gap stubbornly remains.Read more on gender in the workplace:
- Kate Winslet slammed for calling gender pay gap discussions “vulgar”
- Women in full-time employment will effectively work for nothing from now until 2016
- The UK’s young women have more career doubts than male counterparts
“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?,” she said.
Perhaps the UKCES study will be a wake-up call for her to use her position of power in the same way Lawrence has.
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