Actress Robin Wright, famed for her role as the steely beautiful spouse to Frank Underwood in House of Cards, recently did something many of Hollywood women had failed to do. She bargained for equal pay.
On May 17, 2016, Wright got extremely frank about her struggles working along with the Hollywood talent and the studios.
Wright said that she had made a decision after seeing data which had suggested her character was actually more popular than Spacey's among viewers. Armed with that knowledge, Wright went to executives with her bold proposition and demanded the same pay as Spacey.
The issue of a pay gap first rose in the infamous Sony hack of 2014, when the paychecks of studio heads, actors, actresses and other studio talent were made public. Many were dismayed over the huge difference in pay among the women and men, especially when it came to on-screen roles and it sparked a debate over exactly how much women have acheived in the modern world.
The number of women in traditionally male roles are increasing. Women's issues and rights are being actively discussed. Various platforms for gender equality have increased. And still much remains to be done. Until collectively women realize they do have the capability to do what is expected of them and more, examples like Robin Wright are needed.
To simply peg this as a pay issue would be an insult to the matter. As Susan Sarandon put it, "it's about respect — it’s not about the money.”
In a world filled with the Kardashians, Ratajowskis and a host of other women who gladly flash skin for a moment of internet fame and notoriety, the question begs to be asked have we as women really made a stance for ourselves?
Some critics have said that many women had confused feminism as the right to bare oneself. And in many aspects this is an accurate statement. Social media is a clear indicator of this. Flashing skin has anything to do with fighting the cause of gender equality.
As Piers Morgan said, "[the] thought of Kim [Kardashian's] gazillion young female followers on Twitter and Instagram rushing straight to their cellphones to bombard cyberspace with nude pictures of themselves in honour of their role model heroine should leave real feminists horrified."
Real feminism is unearthing injustice that is there solely based on gender and rectifying it with courage, dignity and determination. In itself, it is an uphill battle women face nearly every day.
In spite of the large number of women actively employed in the workforce, women are still viewed as ornamental. The number of women who hold key authoritative positions, positions that directly determine the path forward are minimal. Those who do pull ahead, move up the hierarchy had to have fended off criticism, casual sexism to name a few.
Years back a little girl wrote to NASA asking them if she could become an astronaut. NASA at that time said there was no such program where women can go to space. The little girl was dejected, but decided that she would aspire for more. She became a United States senator, Secretary of State and current contender for the US Presidency - Hillary Clinton.
The number of women in traditionally male roles are increasing. Women's issues and rights are being actively discussed. Various platforms for gender equality have increased. And still much remains to be done. Until collectively women realize they do have the capability to do what is expected of them and more, examples like Robin Wright are needed.
