The XX of Equal Pay
In this blog post, I will be writing about the Gender pay gap and I will touch on factors that cause the pay gap. I will talk about the dark truth of media companies who are I may add owned by old rich billionaires which I will include their opinion on the matter (eyeroll) and see if there are issues with the gender pay gap in their company mainly focusing on the BBC issues with the gender pay gap.
As we know the BBC gender pay gap caused a lot of questions in the media industry on unequal pay for women. This happened because of the UK government demanded that the BBC had to release figures of those who work at the BBC who earn more than 150,000 pounds as a part of it’s so-called “royal charter’ ( which basically guarantees that the corporation will receive its license fee for another 11 years). The BBC published those who earned more than 150,000 pounds of the 96 only a third of them were women. The BBC consistently objects to the disclosure describing it as “poachers” that will drive salaries up in the media industry and that it helps others in the media industry headhunt its staff. (Ruddick,2019) Even though the list is not very long it is important to note that it is the payment that the BBC was directly paid from the license fee. This means that payments made to other staff members from independently run production companies and BBC worldwide is not included in this so-called “headhunt”. This is why some absolute BBC legends are missed off the list such as Sir David Attenborough, David Dimbleby, Matt Leblanc to name a few are missed off the list due to the fact the cut off is 450,000 another example is Sherlock which stars Benedict Cumberbatch are not included due to been made by an independent production company. (Clarke and Clarke,2019)
The gender pay gap shows of the 96 that 62 were men and 34 were women. This reveals even more than just a simple lack of women that there is also a lack of ethnic diversity among those who are earning the big bucks at BBC. In 2016 it revealed that British journalism is 94% white. (Hitsch,2019) There is even evidence that the industry is lacking diversity and that people from a less snooty background are being overlooked. Mr. David Lammy (a Labour MP from Tottenham) on the 14th April 2016 made this statement in parliament “ I beg to move, that this house notes the crucial cultural role the BBC plays in modern Britan; welcomes the fact that one of the public purposes outlined in the BBC charter is to represent the UK, its nations, regions and communities; notes with concern that the last employment census in 2012 showed the number of black, Asian and minority ethnic people working in the UK creative media fell by 30.9% between 2006 and 2012; believes that a BBC target of 14.2% for 2017 is insufficient.” (Hansard.parliament.uk,2019)
This is after BBC editor Carrie Gracie resigned in January after she said that women employees were discriminated over equal pay. In response to her claims a BBC spokesman (no surprise there) said:
“While we still have more to do, much of this report is already out of date. Recent disclosures by other media organizations show that the BBC’s gender pay gap is amongst the smallest and well below the national average.” Here is the funny thing about this statement he says it’s amongst the smallest but yet there shouldn't even be a slight gender pay gap. So he carries on saying...
“But we do hold ourselves to a higher standard. This is why our action on pay has seen the BBC make real progress in addressing equal pay cases; carrying out an independent audit of equal pay; introduce independent oversight so that disputes can be resolved; take clear steps to rebalance top talent pay; reform out pay structure to ensure fairness and give an unprecedented level of transparency and information about pay ranges for all staff; and set up independent reviews to see what further steps should be taken on pay transparency.
That's why so many colleges have contributed to project were doing- on gender, ethnicity, disability, LGBT and socio-economic diversity. We all want to make this a great place to work, where people are properly rewarded for their expertise and experience” (Press Gazette,2019)
Going off from this statement what a load of pretentious old tosh to come out of BBC ( from a MALE spokesman had to type MALE aggressively their).
Surprise surprise.. the gender pay gap just doesn't happen in the BBC it happens all over the media industry it's funny because all these other big cats sure like to jump to the gun about BBC but yet their only doing the same thing. Many women are losing out to men in pay, with them earning more, more senior roles and getting big bonuses, the government gender pay reporting service revealed. The press Gazette showed that 91 percent of UK-based media companies paid men more than women on average based on the mean hourly rate, and 85% paid more in mean bonus pay. This is not because us women are less qualified or few enter the industry. Prime minister (bless her a lot of sarcasm there) choose the Telegraph to write about the issue about the new gender reporting rules she says “ By making this information public, organizations will no longer have anywhere to hide. Shareholders and customers will expect to see improvements and will be able to hold organizations to account if they fail to achieve them.” (Ruddick,2019)
Yet this lovely little statement in the Telegraph is so biased because they have the highest gender pay gaps in the media, with women getting paid 35% less than men on average. 3/4 of the Telegraph highest-paid staff are men, with women working 61.6% of the lower jobs. Men received bonuses of almost twice paid to women on average. Even though it is an issue in the Telegraph it is the only media company that targets to have a zero gender pay gap across the company. Nick Hugh (Telegraphs groups chief executive) has set 2025 as the year by which the company must achieve this saying it “demonstrates where we see the future of the telegraph.” They pledge to monitor frequently and improved maternity benefits. It has offered the option for more flexible working, while 50/50 gender shortlists were introduced for all of its roles. Some others in media want to reach a zero gender pay gap sooner but only within higher brackets, while others have said they are aiming for total gender parity without setting a deadline. For example, The Financial Times aims to achieve gender parity across its global leadership by 2022, Sky pledges to fill half of its senior roles with women by 2020 and The Guardian targets a 50/50 gender balance in the top half of the organization within 5 years. (Press Gazette,2019)
BBC’s TV competitors ITN, which produces news for ITV, Channel 4 and 5. Paid men an average of 19.6% more than women and bonus payments jumped to 77.2%. (National Union of Journalist,2019.) Their excuses for this are even funnier they mainly have more men in senior roles with 17 of its 20 top earners being men. The company has published “TARGETS” which are a 50% reduction in the pay gap within 5 years and a third of the 20 top earned will be occupied by women within 3 years, that it will publish salary bands, introduce a development program for high potential women and men, family-friendly working policies. Yes, this does sound all lovely but the fact is still why 5 years why not now. There shouldn't be a program they should see potential from now and why do they need to make targets it should just be automatically in place now we should be equal now not in a few years. Women at ITN and BBC set up a Whatsapp group to discuss concerns on the pay gap. Natasha Morris legal and equality officer for NUJ says “ It is clear from the latest figures more needs to be done to support women into senior positions within the workplace, ensuring the maternity leave does not mean the end of career progression. It is vital that companies are transparent about pay and where inequality is identified and immediate measures are taken.” (Press, Gazette 2019)
A book called Lifetime Disadvantage, Discrimination and The Gender Workforce by Susan Bisom-Tapp (a professor of Law in California) and Malcolm Sargeant (a professor of Labour Law at Middlesex uni). Which as your reading this I recommend you have a mental checking list in your head ticking if you feel like this is you because for me personally I totally agree with their points and I agree that being a woman in 2019 still has disadvantages and have handled a lot of discrimination on a daily basis.
They write about Gender-based factors which effect from a very early point in their lives as girls and later as women. One of the factors is education and training whilst education is an area where young women have made progress, young women are maximizing their potential. In terms of educations access, attainment, and ambition. In terms of education access, attainment, and ambition, girls on average in OECD counties ( The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development which included the UK.) Amongst OECD counties, girls on average are more likely than boys to anticipate in high-status careers. Side note I as a women hope to be in a high-status career. Young women clearly are more into undergradute study as on average in OECD counties 59% are female university graduates. So from this, no media company can’t technically say women are not qualified because there is the proof in the pudding we are more likely to have a degree so, therefore, why are we not seen to be more ambitious than males just from that fact.
Stereotyping is the second factor in the model. Which begins in the classroom and extending into the workplace, gender beliefs about the different characteristics of male and females may lead to differential treatment. In the classroom, boys tend to receive more praise than girls are more frequently accepted. Research reveals that girls are likely to be rewarded for quite and compliant behavior. Which I agree with I felt like this was a problem personally primary and secondary school it was like its accepted for girls not to have a voice and that we should be quiet and poised which is completely wrong we should be outspoken because without it change will not happen. Despite the long-standing prohibition of sex discrimination in the workplace as well. These biases may infect articulation of a given jobs description and skill requirements and the way employment decisions are made. Due to this stereotyping, this has an enormous effect on occupational advancement over time. Which kind of suck for us women because it feels like these companies are writing rubbish job descriptions to hold us back which is not fair.
Income inequality is another factor is the UK is high, with a rank of sixth amongst the (OECD). The top 10% average income in 2012 was 10.5 times that of the bottom 10% owning 47% of the country’s net wealth. Multiple discrimination women may occupy statuses that further complicate the way in which they are being viewed and treated. One complicating factors is the issue of ageing which I think is so ageist that older workers are viewed as less competent and more difficult to train and more expensive than a younger worker. Which in my opinion is wrong because older people have earned their stripes, their experience so therefore they should be an expense its only fair. Women can encounter other issues and their position in the workplace including minority race-ethnicity, migration status, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. This is terrible not only just because we are women it's all these so-called attachments that can affect us which shouldn't be the case. Who cares where you from, what you believe, what you like or what you believe in. Those with children may collide with a ‘maternal wall’, which diverts or even terminate career paths when women become pregnant, give birth or choose to work in part-time or flexible work arrangements in order to meet family responsibilities. Whilst some women may have to choose a ‘zero hours’ contracts (which are vile and should be full stop banned). Their pay may suffer from working in such positions and which could affect retirement savings and planning. Women can find the unpredictable hours of work be troublesome with caregiving responsibilities.
To finish this off the gender pay gap will always be a burning issue in the media industry due to being an “a mans world” and fat cats such a Mr. Murdoch, the brothers, and other idiotic pigs it will not change until there is a change in the upper parts of the media industry. It should be an industry for everybody but sadly it is not. I believe there should be a constant review on the gender pay gap and it should be changed instantly it shouldn't take years because if they can give bonuses to men so easily, they can do the same for women. The disadvantages of being a woman in the media industry out ways the positives it is very sad to see in the 21st century we are still dealing with issues of women not been seen the same as males. Women have fought for decades before for equality and yet we seem to be in the same boat decades later. I can see how women feel unfortunate to be a woman because of the way they are being treated but we need to stand up for what we want and not just look at the basic gender pay gap but look at all the others issues such as race and factors that are simply out of our control and more importantly stereotypes. This is what news should be about rather than the fat cats slating each other when they are all as bad as each other. The change will happen but it looks like it will be a long time till it is in reach.
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