Photo: Snow White and the Huntsman
It looks like some good may have come out of last month’s Sony Hacks, and no, I’m not talking about the movie “The Interview.” Honestly, do you know anyone who has seen it? Yeah, me neither.
Photo: The Interview
Among the information released by the hacker group the “Guardians of Peace,” were emails revealing salary wages for top Sony Pictures Entertainment executives and Hollywood celebrities. These figures highlighted the gender wage gap we know exists between men and women. For example: for the movie “American Hustle” stars Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams reportedly earned less than their male counterparts on the profits earned from the film. A leaked email showed the actresses were to receive just 7 percent of the movie profits while their male costars earned 9 percent. It should be noted that both women were nominated for Oscars for their roles… just saying.
Photo: American Hustle
One celebrity to take note of this was Charlize Theron, who actually used the Sony Hack to negotiate a pay raise. Through leaked emails, she learned Chris Hemsworth was going to be paid significantly more for their upcoming film “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Charlize demanded she receive equal pay as her male costar and Universal agreed offering the actress a deal worth more than $10 million. Man, how I wish my paychecks looked similar.
Photo: Snow White and the Huntsman
I have to wonder though; would Charlize Theron have been able to negotiate a deal like this without the Sony Hacks? Probably not.
An unwritten rule is that we don’t discuss salaries, and because of this, figures amounts stay hidden. In 2013, female workers made only 78 cents for every dollars earned by men, that’s a 22 percent gender wage gap. But perhaps this example can be a way in which we can start to bridge the gap. Companies like Glassdoor are trying to offer wage transparency. You are able to see the wage rates companies offer, or what is an average salary for your position. With better wage transparency hopefully more women will be able to demand equal wages just like Charlize Theron did.
----