SheSays has called on its UK membership to “participate in an experiment to help us close the pay gap”.
The website describes the concept as:
“THE CONCEPT
We’ve been talking about equal pay for over 70 years. The law has enforced it for almost 50. And yet, women still get paid less across 370 of the 426 job classifications in the UK. And more often than not, it’s a lot less.
Part of the problem is that we keep our salaries a secret.
When salaries are shared, change happens. We’ve seen this in Hollywood, in Silicon Valley and even close to home.
When the BBC released figures revealing the unsurprising fact that most of the corporation’s biggest female stars are being paid a fraction of what their male counterparts earn, the women of the BBC banded together. The BBC now aims to close their pay gap entirely by 2020.
We want to do the same. In the advertising industry, approximately one in ten women make it to the top; a problem we know all too well. But how unfairly are we paid along the way? It’s time to find out.
THE CALL
Hosted by Marcie MacLellan and Rebecca Rowntree, we are casting in the UK for a filmed experiment directed by Frank & Lively, an award-winning production company. We are looking for both male and female volunteers to willingly share their salary with a complete stranger of the opposite gender.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO REVEAL YOUR SALARY TO THE WORLD (OR EVEN THE CREW). JUST TO EACH OTHER.
We will capture your reaction as you see, for the first time for most, how big (or small) the gender gap is for you.
If willing, please feel free to submit a colleague of the opposite gender and equivalent position to participate in this experiment. We are still welcoming more women to participate.”
About SheSays
SheSays is an award-winning global network organization focused on the engagement, education and advancement of women in the creative industries.
Founded in 2007, they have presence in 40 cities around the world with an estimated 40,000 members.
Our Thoughts
It is important to be aware that disparity in the way men and women are treated within creative industries, is a huge problem, and the marketing and advertising industry are part of that. It is something that I think many creatives still don’t think actually affects them so an experiment like this might well highlight the issues.
Links
https://blog.womenandhollywood.com/bbc-women-demand-equal-pay-bde3479d5e3e
