Tennis veteran Martina Navratilova has lashed out at BBC for pay gap. She said fellow commentator John McEnroe is paid 10 times more than her for doing Wimbledon broadcasts.
McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon singles champion, is a prolific tennis commentator.
On Panorama, one of BBC’S own shows, Navratilova said, "It was a shock because John McEnroe makes at least £150,000 (about $210,000). I get about £15,000 (about $21,000).”
Practice rampant
As reported by CNN, on the show she mentioned that though Wimbledon commentary is a part-time job for her, it is downright unfair that her male counterpart is paid ten times more than her. She said if this is happening with her, other women must be dealing with this situation, too.
"If this happens to me then, you know for me it's a part-time job, it's two weeks of my life -- but for the women that work there full-time, maybe the discrepancy isn't that large, but it adds up over a lifetime," - Navratilova
"It adds up to an amazing amount of money," the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion pointed out.
Also: Claire Foy The Queen On Netflix’s “The Crown” Faces Pay Disparity
BBC defends its actions
The BBC defended its actions stating that it isn’t fair to make comparisons. It's a fact that McEnroe is on air three times more than Navratilova. The two have signed up for different types of contracts, the broadcaster said.
"John and Martina perform different roles in the team, and John's role is of a different scale, scope and time commitment," the BBC said in a statement. "He is contracted to be on call for the BBC across the entire tournament. Gender isn't a factor."
Also: BBC Women Pen Open Letter Over Pay Gap
The women's tennis legend said she was assured by the BBC that men and women were being paid equally for the same work. However, she later realised that "we were not told the truth". She called out BBC for pay disparity.
Last summer, the broadcaster revealed salaries of its top journalists and entertainment stars, clearly showing that it paid its female stars a lot less than then males.
Also: BBC’s Salary Report Fuels Gender Pay Gap Debate
Time to fix it
It is only fair that everyone must be paid with regard to their work and skills, be it women or men. What's changing for the better, however, is that women are speaking up and they won't go down without a fight. Not anymore!
Also read: Sonam Kapoor Takes a Stand on Bollywood’s Gender-Based Pay Gap
Feature image source: CNN International
Bhawna Is An Intern With SheThePeople.TV
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Navratilova Slams 'Pay Gap' Among Wimbledon Commentators
Tennis veteran Martina Navratilova has lashed out at BBC for pay gap. She said fellow commentator John McEnroe is paid 10 times more than her for doing Wimbledon broadcasts.
McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon singles champion, is a prolific tennis commentator.
On Panorama, one of BBC’S own shows, Navratilova said, "It was a shock because John McEnroe makes at least £150,000 (about $210,000). I get about £15,000 (about $21,000).”
Practice rampant
As reported by CNN, on the show she mentioned that though Wimbledon commentary is a part-time job for her, it is downright unfair that her male counterpart is paid ten times more than her. She said if this is happening with her, other women must be dealing with this situation, too.
"If this happens to me then, you know for me it's a part-time job, it's two weeks of my life -- but for the women that work there full-time, maybe the discrepancy isn't that large, but it adds up over a lifetime," - Navratilova
"It adds up to an amazing amount of money," the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion pointed out.
Also: Claire Foy The Queen On Netflix’s “The Crown” Faces Pay Disparity
BBC defends its actions
The BBC defended its actions stating that it isn’t fair to make comparisons. It's a fact that McEnroe is on air three times more than Navratilova. The two have signed up for different types of contracts, the broadcaster said.
"John and Martina perform different roles in the team, and John's role is of a different scale, scope and time commitment," the BBC said in a statement. "He is contracted to be on call for the BBC across the entire tournament. Gender isn't a factor."
Also: BBC Women Pen Open Letter Over Pay Gap
The women's tennis legend said she was assured by the BBC that men and women were being paid equally for the same work. However, she later realised that "we were not told the truth". She called out BBC for pay disparity.
Last summer, the broadcaster revealed salaries of its top journalists and entertainment stars, clearly showing that it paid its female stars a lot less than then males.
Also: BBC’s Salary Report Fuels Gender Pay Gap Debate
Time to fix it
It is only fair that everyone must be paid with regard to their work and skills, be it women or men. What's changing for the better, however, is that women are speaking up and they won't go down without a fight. Not anymore!
Also read: Sonam Kapoor Takes a Stand on Bollywood’s Gender-Based Pay Gap
Feature image source: CNN International
Bhawna Is An Intern With SheThePeople.TV