Tinseltown’s ‘Wage Gap’

Much has been made in the press this fall of Jennifer Lawrence’s cries of “sexism in Hollywood.” Now Sandra Bullock has jumped into the mix with similar comments of her own.

But are leading ladies such as Lawrence utilizing the best strategy — and employing the soundest logic — in taking their feminist message directly to the masses?

Lawrence first took issue with the Hollywood “wage gap” after last year’s Sony email hacks revealed she made far less than her male co-stars in “American Hustle.” This fall, she wrote an open letter on social media, delineating her beef with studio executives for the sleight of hand.

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Bullock followed up last week in an interview with Variety by reiterating the “wage gap” claim made, and adding further thoughts on the unfair treatment actresses receive.

“I keep saying, ‘Why is it that no one is standing up and saying you can’t say that about a woman?'” Bullock said. “Really, how men are described in articles versus women, there’s a big difference. I always make a joke: ‘Watch, we’re going to walk down the red carpet, I’m going to be asked about my dress and my hair while the man standing next to me will be asked about his performance and political issues.’”

On the one hand, it’s helpful when celebrities share uncomfortable personal experiences and make earnest attempts to explain the emotional and intellectual reaction that stem from these experiences. Who better than celebrities, with their impressive social media platforms, to transmit a message of alleged discrimination and possibly effect real change? Lawrence and Bullock are both talented performers with annual incomes over $50 million in the past decade. Financial success should not disqualify them from speaking out about observed sexism.

Rationally speaking, no one is denying that a wage gap exists in Hollywood. That a wage gap exists, however, does not necessarily mean that sexism is to blame.

On the other hand, this is also what makes their statements — and the logic they use — so important. Rationally speaking, no one is denying that a wage gap exists in Hollywood. The Sony email hacks produced the evidence, and it was pretty evidently unfair. That a wage gap exists, however, does not necessarily mean that sexism is to blame. Certainly, sexism in Hollywood does exist, but tying sexism to wage negotiation is a tricky argument. Just because women make less doesn’t imply that foul play (read: an evil, greedy class of executives) is to blame.

In a recent interview with Variety, Bullock described a moment when she felt mistreated about 10 years ago. Though she didn’t go into detail, she expressed feeling “fearful” and “destroyed,” attributing the unfair treatment to being a woman. She went on to explain why she didn’t speak up: “I was just happy to be working, so you take it, especially in this business.”

In other words, she was grateful for a paycheck — any paycheck. This is the reality for most women. One hundred years after women’s suffrage and tectonic shifts in the workforce, a lot of women, like Bullock, are just happy to be working. In general, gratitude is an admirable quality.

In the highly competitive entertainment industry, however, gratitude is a sign of weakness to studio executives who are running a tight ship. It’s not personal, and it’s not sexism, per se. It’s business, and Hollywood is a ruthless, capitalist industry.

Learning to navigate behind-the-scenes and negotiate on your own behalf is part of the job. And both Bullock and Lawrence appear to have missed the memo. Chalk it up to naiveté. Both have been labeled in the media as “America’s Sweetheart” at various points in their respective careers. Being grateful is part of their brand.

Earning a reputation as a tough negotiator shouldn’t tarnish their sparkly demeanor, however. After all, most negotiating in Hollywood is done by agents. The battles over financial compensation routinely get ugly and intense, independent of gender. Agents, who are paid on commission, have an incentive to negotiate higher pay for their clients because every contract impacts the bottom line.

Of course, the nature of negotiations is tricky. Agents — and the agencies they represent — are willing to negotiate a lower rate for one (shy female) client in order to justify a higher rate for another (assertive male) client. Whether a woman is adequately represented by her own management is a matter of negotiation in and of itself. And by the way, not all agents are men. They are all business-minded, though.

Whether a woman is adequately represented by her own management is a matter of negotiation in and of itself.

The “wage gap” in Hollywood isn’t explicit sexism. It’s unjust. Just because Hollywood pays better than other industries doesn’t make it OK to pay women less. However, calling it sexism shifts the blame to agents and executives, who have an ingrained incentive, under the rules of basic capitalism, to maximize their resources. In fact, only women themselves can change the dynamic. The burden of responsibility rests squarely on their shoulders as individuals in the man-eat-man world of capitalism.

In 2014, female columnists wrote a compelling theory about the wage gap in The Atlantic, calling it “The Confidence Gap.” In short, women tend to be less self-assertive in business situations, which enables their bosses (male or female) to capitalize in negotiations over compensation.

The efforts by Bullock and Lawrence aren’t only flawed logic, they’re counterproductive to the very audience they seek to empower. Encouraging their female colleagues to cry foul isn’t the answer. Recognizing the problem for what it is — business naiveté — is the first step. Teaching them how to become better negotiators is the ultimate goal.

Encouraging their female colleagues to cry foul isn’t the answer. Recognizing the problem for what it is — business naiveté — is the first step.

If women don’t know their worth, they can’t expect anyone else to.