A study into the wages of 250 Hollywood stars in more than 1,300 films has found male actors can earn up to seven-figures more than a woman – and not much has changed since the 1980s.
Sofia Izquierdo Sanchez, from Huddersfield University, John S Heywood, from Wisconsin University, and Maria Navarro Paniagua, from Lancaster University, studied the earnings of 246 working actors between 1980 and 2015.
In the 1,343 films, the economists found that not only has the gender pay gap been ‘quite persistent’ since the start of their research period, but it doesn’t show ‘any signs of improving’, The Guardian reported.
The study found women earn $1.1 million less per film than male co-stars who have a similar level of experience in the industry.
A study into 250 Hollywood stars in more than 1,300 films has found male actors can earn up to seven-figures more than a woman (Pictured: Amy Adams in American Hustle)
‘We were thinking that we would find a gap, because so many actresses have been bringing the issue up,’ Ms Izquierdo Sanchez said.
‘But we were surprised to find so much of a gap, especially as we were talking about actors of the highest level, like Meryl Streep’.
The analysis, which sourced information from Box Office Mojo and IMDb, took into consideration several factors including an actor’s past accolades and experience.
The report, which was presented to the European Economic Association in Manchester last month, gave an example of the 2013 crime drama American Hustle.
Sofia Izquierdo Sanchez, from Huddersfield University, and a team of economists analysed the earnings of 246 actors who featured in films between 1980 and 2015 (Pictured: Scarlett Johansson, the highest paid actress of 2019)
For the film, Christian Bale worked 45 days for $2.5 million upfront and nine per cent of total profits, whereas his co-star Amy Adams, who also worked 45 days, made $1.25 million and seven per cent of total profits.
Bradley Cooper, who worked just one more day than Adams, matched Bale’s $2.5 million and nine per cent of profits.
In Forbes’ list of 2019’s highest paid celebrities, the actor who earned the most – Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – earned $89.4 million, whereas the best paid actress -Scarlett Johansson – made $56 million.
The study found women earn $1.1 million less per film than male co-stars who have a similar level of experience in the industry (Pictured: Dwayne Johnson, who was named the highest paid actor in the world by Forbes)
In the 2013 film American Hustle, Christian Bale (left) worked 45 days for $2.5 million upfront and nine per cent of total profits, whereas his co-star Amy Adams (middle), who also worked 45 days, made $1.25 million and seven per cent of total profits
Johansson’s Marvel co-star Chris Hemsworth also surpassed her wages at $76.4 million, alongside Robert Downey Jr at $66 million and Bradley Cooper and Adam Sandler at $57 million.
Julia Roberts, however, was paid $15 million for her work on the 1999 film Notting Hill, a rare example of a female lead earning more than her male counterpart, Hugh Grant.
The research also revealed the genre in which a gender pay gap is most likely to occur is action, with all genres including adventure films and romantic comedies struggling to close the gap.
Ms Izquierdo Sanchez and her team’s study comes after actress Patricia Arquette used her Oscar’s speech in 2015 to demand equal pay for women in the film industry.
Julia Roberts (left), however, was paid $15 million for her work on Notting Hill, a rare example of a female lead earning more than her male counterpart, Hugh Grant (right)
The study comes after actress Patricia Arquette used her Oscar’s speech in 2015 to demand equal pay for women in the film industry
As she collected an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood, she told the crowd: ‘To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer of this nation. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all in the United States of America.’
‘Wage equality will help ALL women of all races in America. It will also help their children and society,’ she later wrote on Twitter.
‘Guess which women are the most negatively effected in wage inequality? Women of color. #Equalpay for ALL women. Women stand together in this.’