How Social Networks Can Strengthen the Bargaining Power of Actresses to Defeat Income Inequality
A recent furor in social media has arisen from actresses speaking out against the blatant income inequality they face when compared to their male co-stars. This has been a problem perpetuated by the practices and culture of Hollywood, where men are subtly (sometimes blatantly) favored over women; this is a culture that people buy into and accept for fear of rejection or disapproval. In the words of Jennifer Lawrence in her essay, Why Do I Make Less than My Male Co-Stars, “When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn’t get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early… But If I’m honest with myself, I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight.” Jennifer Lawrence goes onto decry the very culture of Hollywood, believing that women should fight to have income equality regardless of what people think of them (a belief similarly outlined by Meryl Streep and many other actresses). If men can fight and negotiate powerful deals, then why can’t women?
In an age dominated by social media, actresses can utilize their vast legions of followers to their advantage, leveraging their popularity and the potential earnings from ticket sales by their network of followers as a bargaining tool against studios for income negotiation. The networks they share with their colleagues, both male and female, are also resources in themselves when in cooperation with one another to negotiate fair deals. Bradley Cooper said that he has begun teaming up with female co-stars to negotiate salaries, an initiative that if shared by other male actors, can strengthen the bargaining power of actresses tremendously and give them equal footing to negotiate their contracts. The power of networks in shaping and strengthening the bargaining power of women cannot be understated, giving actresses the bargaining power, information, and tools they need to address income inequality head on.
Change comes from people rallying behind causes with strong leaders, people easily recognizable and respected for their dedication to the cause. The rise of strong feminist actresses vocalizing and combating income inequality through their own negotiations can be the catalyst for the feminist movement to embark upon a great crusade against income inequality not only in Hollywood, but in all industries where women face the same struggles against income inequality.
Source Links:
Meryl Streep Decries Income Inequality in Hollywood
Why Do I Make Less than My Male Co-Stars
http://us11.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a5b04a26aae05a24bc4efb63e&id=64e6f35176&e=1ba99d671e#wage
Jennifer Lawrence Expresses Anger at Hollywood’s Gender Pay Gap
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/13/jennifer-lawrence-hollywood-gender-pay-gap
Bradley Cooper Applauds Lawrence’s Attack on Hollywood Pay Gap.