X-Files’ Gillian Anderson offered half the pay of male co-star David Duchovny
The X-Files’ female lead Gillian Anderson was offered half the salary of her male co-star David Duchovny to return for new episodes of the TV series, she revealed to The Daily Beast.
In an interview, Anderson said it was the second time she had to battle TV execs to get equal pay having faced the same issue during the series' initial run the early 90s. Back then, she said, it took three years for the gap to close.
"I'm surprised that more [interviewers] haven't brought that up, because it's the truth," said Anderson. "Especially in this climate of women talking about the reality... in this business, I think it's important... It was shocking to me, given all the work that I had done in the past to get us to be paid fairly. I don't even know what to say about it... It's sad."
It’s an issue that plagues both Hollywood and the advertising industry alike. A National Management Salary Survey recently highlighted the gender-pay gap, revealing that the average salary for women managers, across all demographics, is £30,612, whereas the average male in the same role is paid £39,136 per year.
It’s just one of the underlying factors cited for the lack of diversity in the creative industries, with a number of studies in recent years showing that the number of women who reach senior management level drops considerably compared to the number of women working in advertising as a whole.
The Drum’s Tehmeena Latif recently shared her experience of being an Asian woman in the industry, suggesting works needs to be done “not only be diverse, but be inclusive.” You can watch her video below.