Jennifer Lawrence Speaks Out: Why I Got Paid Less

Actress addresses the gender wage gap
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 13, 2015 11:15 AM CDT
Jennifer Lawrence Speaks Out: Why I Got Paid Less
In this July 9, 2015, file photo, Jennifer Lawrence attends "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2" press line on the first day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Jennifer Lawrence was thrust into the spotlight on the gender pay-gap issue when the Sony hack revealed that she was paid less than her male American Hustle co-stars. Now she's speaking out via Lena Dunham's "Lenny," in a column headlined, "Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?" Lawrence notes that prior to this, she's been "ever-so-slightly quiet" on the issue of feminism—but now, "I'm over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable! F--- that. I don't think I've ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It's just heard." She also goes behind the scenes on the Hustle pay issue and explains why, when she found out how much more her male co-stars made, "I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself."

"I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early," she writes. "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. I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled.' At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled.'" Those men "all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves. If anything, I'm sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share." She adds that she thinks other women struggle with the same worries: "Are we socially conditioned to behave this way?" Click to read her full piece. (More Jennifer Lawrence stories.)

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