Let’s talk about the (w)age gap

She said, “To every woman who gave birth to every tax payer and citizen in this nation: We have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality in the US.”

Celebrities in India seem to agree with Arquette.

“Personally, I haven’t experienced wage inequality since I am new to the industry and I think I do get a fair remuneration. But I do know of women who get a lower wage even if they are as experienced or as senior as their male counterparts. I think it is unfair and women do need to get together to fight this inequality. Women are working just as hard and are just as competent for the same job. Why then should they accept lower wages or compensation for the exact same job?”

“Yes, the difference in terms of wages paid is definitely there, but it is most glaring when it comes to actresses. When you look at certain fields such as choreography or make up artistes, there is not much difference, but actresses are paid much less than their male counterparts.

If I were to capture it in a phrase, then I would say the situation is ‘Hum Saat Saath Hain’, which is basically reflective of the situation wherein a top-tier heroine makes Rs 7 crore (saat) while the highest-paid hero makes Rs 60 crore (saath).

“The reason for this is partly our country’s audience who most of the time decide whether to go for a particular movie or not based on the hero and the movies too are mostly hero centric. So it is highly unlikely that this will change.

“While Katrina or Deepika might have been in the industry for a long time, even newcomers such as Sidharth (Malhotra) or Varun (Dhawan) have already reached where they are in terms of pay.”

“I agree it’s a male dominated industry, but when women aren’t even paid 20 per cent of the men’s salary, you know it’s unfair. Very few international stars such as Angelina Jolie can command something on equal terms... this has to change and will but only with constant dialogue and spreading of awareness.”

“There is a huge disparity, but it’s not so much in terms of wages, but in terms of who’s going to rule the roost. If you take the ’90s, actresses would be doing about 30 films to make up for what their male counterparts are making.

But there is also the fact that the credit or the discredit for a film usually rides on the hero’s shoulders. While a film that has flopped can ruin a hero’s career, the heroine goes scot-free… A good sign is that the new generation is moving forward.

They aren’t letting everyone take things for granted. This is because of the increasing trend of heroine centric movies. I think slowly but surely the scenario will change.”