How Robin Wright Negotiated Equal Pay on 'House of Cards'

[AvilaSurfer]

My anecdotal experience outweighs statistics!

Yeah my 40 years of experience vs. a myth.

 

[Vylo]

I think you misspelled blackmailing.

Not blackmail. She simply stated should would publicly announce a fact, and negotiated a higher pay. I'm surprised the execs caved, but kudos to her.

As for her pay entitlement, people have to remember it isn't just about how popular your characters on that show are, but your other potential projects that should impact pay. Spacey has a lot more potential than Wright. He's a far more accomplished actor, though she's not an unknown for sure. That usually accounts for some difference in pay. Wright might have trouble finding more lucrative work outside the series. Spacey could walk off set without any plans and end up in a multi-million dollar role by lunch.

 

[rambot]

Yeah my 40 years of experience vs. a myth.

You think it's a myth based on your 40 years experience...so you don't need to include the "versus".

 

[iluvatar5150]

So she - whoever she is - thinks she's as big a name as Spacey. Interesting approach. Sounds very fair.

Did you read the article? According to whatever polling was done, her character is as popular as Spacey's.

I doubt that was the case when the show started, and outside the context of the show, she may or may not be as big a draw (I don't know), but at least within that specific show, she's pulled even.

I think you misspelled blackmailing.

In another thread, you claimed to agree with Jennifer Lawrence that the "right solution [is to] instead of yammering about the pay gap, negotiate as hard as men do, and encourage other women to do the same."

Yet now that Robin Wright negotiated equal pay, you claim that what she did was blackmail.

Do you not see your own double standard? In every one of these threads about bias, you try to find some way to minimize the claim and/or pretend that the bias doesn't exist. And yet here you are, doing exactly what you pretend doesn't happen.

 

[cow451]

I know a girl who got a grade changed in college because she met with the professor and threatened to cry "sexism" against him. She told me about it because she was sincerely really proud of herself, the way she put it she was standing up for her rights. No, sorry, I think that was extortion.

That is not what happened with this actress.

In the business world it is not so easy to make such a transparent threat. It is a very tall mountain to win an actual claim.

I know a Black guy that worked in a factory as a supervisor. He was "pretty sure" he was getting paid less than his White counterparts. He went though a grievance complaint. At one point, he was in an HR office and the HR guy left for a few minutes. The guy saw some payroll printout that listed some of his peers and they were all White and making more money.

He got an attorney and eventually got the case to court. Even though his attorney got a subpoena which proved him right ... the judged tossed the case because the Black guy had violated the company policy by looking at the paperwork left on the HR desk.

Any pay system that considers longevity penalizes women that have taken maternity leave. They automatically lose seniority, validating that we Americans really don't support "Family values".

 

[rambot]

In another thread, you claimed to agree with Jennifer Lawrence that the "right solution [is to] instead of yammering about the pay gap, negotiate as hard as men do, and encourage other women to do the same."

Yet now that Robin Wright negotiated equal pay, you claim that what she did was blackmail.

Do you not see your own double standard? In every one of these threads about bias, you try to find some way to minimize the claim and/or pretend that the bias doesn't exist. And yet here you are, doing exactly what you pretend doesn't happen.

Thank you.

 

[yasic]

Well to be fair, if you take maternity (or paternity) leave you should lose your seniority.

Why should someone who consistently performs hard at work be considered on equal footing with someone who chooses to take a leave of absence?

 

[Chesterton]

That is not what happened with this actress.

In the business world it is not so easy to make such a transparent threat. It is a very tall mountain to win an actual claim.

I know a Black guy that worked in a factory as a supervisor. He was "pretty sure" he was getting paid less than his White counterparts. He went though a grievance complaint. At one point, he was in an HR office and the HR guy left for a few minutes. The guy saw some payroll printout that listed some of his peers and they were all White and making more money.

He got an attorney and eventually got the case to court. Even though his attorney got a subpoena which proved him right ... the judged tossed the case because the Black guy had violated the company policy by looking at the paperwork left on the HR desk.

Any pay system that considers longevity penalizes women that have taken maternity leave. They automatically lose seniority, validating that we Americans really don't support "Family values".

What did he get an attorney for?

 

[TheBear]

My anecdotal experience outweighs statistics!

As we all know, statistics can be manipulated and used to say just about anything. What's more important than statistics is evidence.

 

[trunks2k]

Did you read the article? According to whatever polling was done, her character is as popular as Spacey's.

I doubt that was the case when the show started, and outside the context of the show, she may or may not be as big a draw (I don't know), but at least within that specific show, she's pulled even.

IIRC she also does more than act for the show. She directed 7 episodes and is now an executive producer. Spacey hasn't directed any, but has been an executive producer for longer (if not since the beginning).

 

[SummerMadness]

As we all know, statistics can be manipulated and used to say just about anything. What's more important than statistics is evidence.

Ah the you can make statistics say anything argument, no you can't make statistics say anything, but you can have flawed design that can make interpretation difficult. The link to the Washington Post contains the people who conducted the study and their results, if there is a problem, then I'm sure you can point out the design flaws. The general argument people make about women making less than men is that it takes all occupations done by women and all the occupations done by men, thus giving a skewed comparison. This study addresses that and looks within professions and finds a gap in some occupation, while not in others.

Statistics is analysis of data, data is evidence.

 

[TheBear]

The evidence I'm looking for is specific companies, specific employees, specific experience levels, specific tenor, and those type of things.

Ex: "Jane Doe has been with XYZ company for 5 years in the same job title. John Smith has been working at XYZ company for 5 years in the same job title. Both John and Jane have the same background, education, experience and expertise, and both work full time. John makes more money than Jane, doing the same job."

 

[Uncle Siggy]

The evidence I'm looking for is specific companies, specific employees, specific experience levels, specific tenor, and those type of things.

Ex: "Jane Doe has been with XYZ company for 5 years in the same job title. John Smith has been working at XYZ company for 5 years in the same job title. Both John and Jane have the same background, education, experience and expertise, and both work full time. John makes more money than Jane, doing the same job."

 

[MehGuy]

I just hope a shorter man would also be congratulated if he did something similar. Instead of being body shamed by feminists and sjws when shorter men complain about the pay discrepancy they face.

Which begs the question, if the gender pay gap more of a height pay gap? Women tend to be shorter than men on average. It would be extremely interesting to see a study done on whether or not a 6 foot tall woman makes more than a 5 foot 5 inch tall man on average.

I don't think we're necessarily hardwired to respect men more in leadership positions, but I do think we're hardwired to value traits that men tend to possess more on average, such as height and larger build. But if we really want to tackle the problem in depth it might be a little disingenuous to call it a male or female only problem. If a shorter guy is getting the same slack as a typical women he certainly doesn't want to be bombarded by hypocritical and shallow feminists telling him to "check his privilege".

 

[cow451]

What did he get an attorney for?

To file a lawsuit. I went back and read the Judges' decision. i had some facts wrong but the basic facts are accurate. The Judge ruled that he had been terminated for cause (he had looked at confidential documents), which the company figured out when they got served). Therefore the case was tossed on technical grounds (rules of evidence). If evidence is obtained inappropriately, it can be ruled inadmissible. Therefore, no other way to prove his case.

He was philosophical, taking some solace that he made the company eat quite a few dollars on legal fees (each side paid their own).

 

[cow451]

Well to be fair, if you take maternity (or paternity) leave you should lose your seniority.

Why should someone who consistently performs hard at work be considered on equal footing with someone who chooses to take a leave of absence?

Family Values?

 

[Chesterton]

To file a lawsuit. I went back and read the Judges' decision. i had some facts wrong but the basic facts are accurate. The Judge ruled that he had been terminated for cause (he had looked at confidential documents), which the company figured out when they got served). Therefore the case was tossed on technical grounds (rules of evidence). If evidence is obtained inappropriately, it can be ruled inadmissible. Therefore, no other way to prove his case.

He was philosophical, taking some solace that he made the company eat quite a few dollars on legal fees (each side paid their own).

All that to ask for a pay raise?

 

[SummerMadness]

The funny thing is, the pay gap links tells you the source of their data, yet some of you are laughably questioning sample size. I don't even think some of you understand why sample size is important, what would be the minimum sample size required and why?

 

[Nithavela]

I just hope a shorter man would also be congratulated if he did something similar. Instead of being body shamed by feminists and sjws when shorter men complain about the pay discrepancy they face.

Which begs the question, if the gender pay gap more of a height pay gap? Women tend to be shorter than men on average. It would be extremely interesting to see a study done on whether or not a 6 foot tall woman makes more than a 5 foot 5 inch tall man on average.

I don't think we're necessarily hardwired to respect men more in leadership positions, but I do think we're hardwired to value traits that men tend to possess more on average, such as height and larger build. But if we really want to tackle the problem in depth it might be a little disingenuous to call it a male or female only problem. If a shorter guy is getting the same slack as a typical women he certainly doesn't want to be bombarded by hypocritical and shallow feminists telling him to "check his privilege".

I don't think that taller women get an advantage. They are, just like selfassertive women, seen as a threat and freaks, and treated badly and with contempt.

It's a cultural reflex to take a dim view of women who act as if they were men, being assertive, confident and driving a hard bargain, instead of using stereotypical female traits, flirting and soft skills to reach their goals.

Of course, women who DO use the stereotypical female traits are seen as immature and less worthy, too. It's a game where one side always loses, and the barbed wire is drawn through people's minds.

 

[yasic]

Family Values?

So should we pay people who have children more than those without? Should we automatically give a pay demotion anytime someone gets divorced?

Who decides which family values should directly affect a persons employment position?