Margot Robbie made $50 million from ‘Barbie’ — but Hollywood still has a pay gap problem

Margot Robbie made $50 million from 'Barbie' — but Hollywood still has a pay gap problemTwitterYouTubeInstagramFacebook

By Charles Passy | August 18, 2023

Margot Robbie, the star of the blockbuster film "Barbie," is in line for a $50 million payday, according to a report from Variety.

But while that's good news for her, that doesn't change the harsh reality that women in Hollywood generally make far less than their male counterparts.

Sofia Izquierdo Sanchez, a senior lecturer in economics at England's University of Manchester, told MarketWatch that the gap between men and women in Hollywood is "not converging at the same rate" as it is in other industries.

In a 2022 analysis by Insider of Hollywood's 27 biggest all-time paydays, just three women made the list:

Sandra Bullock

Cameron Diaz

Emma Stone

$70 million for "Gravity"

$42 million for "Bad Teacher"

$26 million for "La La Land"

While Robbie's $50 million is impressive, it still puts the actress far behind other top earners:

Tom Cruise

Will Smith

$100 million-plus for "Top Gun: Maverick"

$100 million for "Men in Black 3"

There have also been notorious stories of pay discrepancies between men and women appearing in the same film.

Michelle Williams reportedly earned less than $1,000 for her work reshooting scenes in the 2017 film "All the Money in World"; by contrast, her costar, Mark Wahlberg, made $1.5 million for the equivalent reshooting work.

The gender pay-gap issue is hardly unique to Hollywood, but the film industry is often held up as among the worst examples of wage inequality.

The gender pay gap has always existed in Hollywood because the power gap in Hollywood has long been gendered and systemic. It mirrors the chronic undervaluing of women's work throughout myriad sectors across our workforce and economy.

— Gloria L. Blackwell, chief executive officer at the American Association of University Women

"

And if women can close the gap in Hollywood, Sanchez said it can have a ripple effect throughout society:

"The film industry is an important cultural industry which has a big influence on the population."

Keep reading about the gender wage gap on MarketWatch.

Click here

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