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Tag: gender inequality

  • Kate Winslet Doesn’t Want in on Gender Wage Inequality Talk

    Kate Winslet doesn’t want in on the discussion on gender wage inequality. She won’t be penning any opinion pieces like Jennifer Lawrence, and she doesn’t want to take part in the conversation. In fact, she says she finds it “a bit vulgar.”

    “I’m having such a problem with these conversations,” she said. “Because they keep coming up, and I understand why they are coming up, but maybe it’s a British thing. I don’t like talking about money…it’s a bit vulgar isn’t it?”

    While Bradley Cooper and Josh Hutcherson lauded Jennifer Lawrence for her recent public stance, Kate Winslet disapproves about talking about money in public.

    “I don’t think that’s a very nice conversation to have publicly at all,” she said. “I’m quite surprised by these conversations to be honest, simply because it seems quite a strange thing to be discussing out in the open like that.”

    Kate Winslet actually believes she has never faced inequality within the entertainment industry because of her gender.

    “Honestly, no,” she said when asked. “And if I’d ever been in that situation I would have either dealt with it or removed myself from it…I haven’t ever felt that I’ve really had to stick up for myself just because I’m a woman.”

    Do you think Kate Winslet is in denial? Or is she truly of the mindset that such discussions aren’t appropriate in a public setting?

    Jennifer Lawrence should be hailed a hero for her outspokenness on the topic in Hollywood.

    Why wouldn’t Kate Winslet want to jump on that bandwagon?

  • Salma Hayek Gives Powerful Speech on Gender Equality

    Salma Hayek Gives Powerful Speech on Gender Equality

    Salma Hayek isn’t just a big name on the big screen. The actress is a big name in the fight for gender equality, too. On Friday Hayek addressed Variety’s Power of Women luncheon in Los Angeles, calling those who don’t pay men and women equally criminals.

    “This is a problem that is in every single industry,” Salma Hayek told the press on the red carpet at the luncheon. “If you have the same capacities and you are doing the same job, it is criminal not to pay the same salary.”

    Honored for her work with the Chime for Change women’s empowerment project, Hayek shared some astounding statistics. Jada Pinkett Smith introduced Salma Hayek to a cheering crowd.

    “We are a fantastic generation. We are the generation who said, ‘Oh no, we’re not going away at 30. This is gonna change. I’m not going to work there anymore? OK, I’m going to start my own industry,’” Hayek said.

    “We are 66 percent of the work power of the world. However, we only get 10 percent of the income of the world. This is really, really sad and tragic,” she added.

    Following more than 20 years as a gender equality advocate, Salma Hayek just now believes change is about to take place.

    “We have been complaining about the situation of women in this industry for years,” she said. “I remember many people in Oscar speeches [mentioned] it, but just this year, with the very eloquent speech of Patricia Arquette, finally they heard it! They actually ask you about it! We are talking about it, we are looking for solutions. We are the generation that is going to experience the difference, the transformation.”

    “I think the reason is not because they’re very nice and they heard us, but because they cannot not hear us because we are such an economical power, women in the country. We represent such a strong part of the audience that they cannot ignore us anymore,” she said.

    Explaining how women in both the film industry as well as in everyday situations have been forced into roles set by men, Salma Hayek said there is much confusion about gender equality.

    “It’s confusing because we’ve been neglected for so long that we really don’t know what women want to see,” she said. “We don’t even recognize our voice anymore because our voices we’ve had to adjust to a system that was created by men so that they could survive. So that things could get made. It’s a really inspiring time, because it’s time for us to take this responsibility and try to find out who we really are.”

    She added that the stereotypical Hollywood roles for women in rom-coms and chick flicks is coming to an end.

    “We’re not the women [who] just wanna see the movie about how our prince is going to come and rescue us anymore. These romantic comedies are not working anymore, why? We changed! But nobody took the time to change with us in the industry,” she said. “So it’s a really exciting time to redefine who we are. This is the true heart of equality–not only when we can make as much, but we can speak as loud and we can really have the freedom to be ourselves instead of trying to survive or fit in,” she said.

    Salma Hayek is a successor in a long line of people who have spoken out against gender inequality. Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Watson, Oprah Winfrey, Matt McGorry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Garner, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geena Davis, and Meryl Streep are huge advocates, too.

    Do you believe the end of gender inequality is truly imminent? Kudos to people like Salma Hayek and her predecessors for their tireless work in not just raising awareness but in advocating change.

  • Anna Kendrick Says Talented Women in Hollywood Outnumber Men

    Anna Kendrick is joining the chorus of female — and male — voices out there who say that the Hollywood movie machine is not giving women their due.

    “All the films nominated [for a Best Picture Oscar] this year had male leads. Like, every single one,” Anna Kendrick told Glamour Magazine. “So I’m glad that [equality’s] feeling like a bigger issue now.”

    Other notable celebs who are banging the same marching drum include Patricia Arquette, Amy Schumer, and Emma Watson. Many have particularly pointed out that there is a disparity in pay for women nationwide, not just in Hollywood.

    But Anna Kendrick sees this disparity rear its head in other ways in Hollywood.

    “There’s [a film I’m considering] now where I have to wait for all the male roles to be cast before I can even become a part of the conversation,” she said. “Part of me gets that. [But] part of me is like, ‘What the f–k? You have to cast for females based on who’s cast as males?’”

    This is not uncommon. Sometimes it is even the other way around. If a film is built from mostly female characters, those may need to be in place before the males in support roles can be nailed down. Any casting director is familiar with this. What if you were initially hoping for Matthew McConaughey in a role, and went ahead and offered his love interest part to Charlize Theron? Then McConaughey could not do the part and you cast Tom Cruise instead?

    Have you seen Charlize Theron standing next to Tom Cruise?

    But Anna Kendrick has another explanation.

    “To me, the only explanation is that there are so many f–king talented girls, and from a business standpoint it’s easier to find women to match the men. I totally stand by the belief that there are 10 unbelievably talented women for every role.”

    And she may be on to something. Any girl who has come up through a college acting program knows that the ladies outnumber the men by a ridiculous margin. Competition among women is fierce. But Anna Kendrick has a different perspective on that too.

    “If anything, it bonds you because we’re all dealing with the same problem.”

    Maybe Anna Kendrick sees the world from a different angle than most struggling actresses. Many of those say that they have to endure backstabbing and sabotage from these other actresses, not a bonding.