Several recent movies and television shows have come under scrutiny for paying male actors more than female actresses. The best recent example of wage inequality in the entertainment industry occurred with the reboot of the famous 90s television series The X-Files, a show about government cover-ups, aliens and other conspiracies.
Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have reprised their roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully for the reboot. In recent press interviews, Gillian Anderson revealed she was offered half of David Duchovny’s pay. Despite both having served their roles in the series for almost a decade, Anderson was paid 50 percent less than her costar.
The film and television industries have several other recent examples of unequal wages among male and female entertainers. After the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it was reported that Carrie Fisher made several times less than Harrison Ford.
In televised entertainment, the top-paid male actors made $9.5 million while their female counterparts were paid $5 million. There are too many cases of male actors receiving multiple times the pay of female actresses. For those curious about the gender wage gap, Hollywood and the entertainment industry are excellent places to learn.
Possible Link Found Between Mental Illness and the Gender Wage Gap
Unfortunately, the gender wage gap is not a conspiracy or myth like a plot from The X-Files. It is very real, and it has significant consequences for highly skilled workers. A recent study published in the academic journal Social Science & Medicine suggested the gender wage gap might be responsible for high rates of anxiety and depression in women. According to the study, women with lower incomes are 2.5 more times likely to suffer from depression than male coworkers.
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Workplace discrimination has consequences that extend beyond places of employment and into the personal lives of workers. Contact our Los Angeles employment attorneys if you are a victim of workplace discrimination.