Actress Olivia Colman had harsh words against the gender pay gap during a recent CNN appearance on Saturday.
Colman, who starred in the award-winning Netflix series “The Crown,” appeared on “The Amanpour Hour” to discuss her role in one of her more recent films “Wicked Little Letters.” While discussing the film, she was questioned whether she’s seen evidence that women can now be considered “big box office draws.”
“Don’t get me started on the pay disparity, but male actors get paid more because they used to say they drew in the audiences,” Colman said. “And actually, that hasn’t been true for decades but they still like to use that as a reason to not pay women as much as their male counterparts.”
“I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning a f–k of a lot more than I am,” she said. “I know of one pay disparity, which is a 12,000% difference.”
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The U.S. Department of Labor reported earlier this month that women currently earn only 84% of what a man is paid in a full-time, year-round job. However, the Labor Department also acknowledged that “the largest identifiable causes of the gender wage gap are differences in the occupations and industries where women and men are most likely to work.”
Additional data from the Labor Department noted that women were more likely to work in lower-paying positions, such as a registered nurse or teacher. Meanwhile, men were more likely to work in higher-paying fields, such as software developer or lawyer. The Labor Department’s report on the gender wage gap also did not appear to account for time off regarding pregnancy or childrearing.
The comments resembled a similar statement made by “The Color Purple” actress Taraji P. Henson. In December, she lamented suffering from not only the gender pay gap but the racial pay gap as well.
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson said. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. The math ain’t math-ing.”
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Henson added, “Every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did, and I’m tired. I’m tired. It wears on you. What does that mean? What is that telling me? If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me then what the f*ck am I doing?”
