With the internet exposing us to all sorts of differing viewpoints, it's safe to say that we're more "woke" than ever. As such, it's only natural that
has had somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. But whilst it's great that people are more informed about the inherent and systemic sexism that women face on a daily basis, it's evident that we still have
a lot
of work to do.
According to the the Trades Union Congress, recent data indicate that the gender pay gay is still "decades" from being closed. Statistics that were published last month show that the gap (or chasm) stands at an eye-watering 9.1 per cent. But while this is down from the 9.4 per cent recorded in 2016, and is the overall lowest gap since the Office for National Statistics started tracking the figure in 1997, the Trades Union Congress has admitted that progress has been resoundingly sluggish.
So in honour of Equal Pay Day, here are 13 inspirational quotes on the matter from some of our favourite
"Unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. Men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters earn more. Equality will be achieved when men and women are granted equal pay and equal respect."
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"Imagine you're a little girl. You're growing up. You practice as hard as you can, with girls, with boys. You have a dream. You fight, you work, you sacrifice to get to this stage. You work as hard as anyone you know. And then you get to this stage, and you're told you're not the same as a boy. Almost as good, but not quite the same. Think how devastating and demoralizing that could be."
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"It is never overreacting to ask for what you want and need."
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"It was a play with just two of us onstage and I was offered less than half of what he was going to be paid. If it was two men, it wouldn't probably happen. Sad, but I walked away. The only way is to make a stand."
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"When a politician is against equal pay for women I think it begs the question should they be a politician?"
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"Your salary is a way to quantify what you’re worth. If men are being paid a lot more doing the same thing, it feels shitty."
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"What are you telling your daughter when she grows up? 'You've got to just understand that you're a girl. You have a vagina. So that's not as valuable'."
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"Girls need to know that being a feminist is a good thing. It doesn’t mean that you hate men, it means equal rights. If you’re doing the same job, you should be compensated and treated in the same way."
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"The reality is that if we do nothing it will take 75 years, or for me to be nearly a hundred before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work."
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"When we pay women less than men we’re telling women their work isn’t as valuable. We’re all equally valuable. And we should be paid equally."
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"When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d*cks, I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn't want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don't need."
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"A few years ago, on one of my big-budget films, I found I was being paid 10 percent of what my male costar was getting, and we were pretty even in status. I think people think because I'm easygoing and game to do things, I'll just take as little as they offer. But it's not about how much you get, it's about how fair it is."
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"This is a problem that is in every single industry. If you have the same capacities and you are doing the same job, it is criminal not to pay the same salary."
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While the gender pay gap is an incredibly worrying phenomenon, it's essential that we seize Equal Pay Day as a time to re-open discussion about sexism writ large.
Want to learn more about the gender pay gap? You're in luck, because
...
