Several Male Presenters at BBC Take Pay Cuts

From ELLE

Following the revelation that there was major salary disparity between men and women at the BBC, several male presenters have take significant pay cuts. BBC News reports that "Huw Edwards, Nicky Campbell, John Humphrys, Jon Sopel, Nick Robinson and Jeremy Vine had all accepted reduced wages." It has been speculated that each of the presenters could have their wages halved.

The announcement regarding wages comes after the BBC China editor, Carrie Gracie, quit her job at the start of January over what she called a "secretive and illegal pay culture." Despite the BBC claiming that there was "no systemic discrimination against women," it was revealed that "two-thirds of its stars earning more than £150,000 (approx. $215,000) were male."

According to BBC News, the highest earner on the list of male employees taking pay cuts was Vine, who earned around $1 million between 2016 and 2017. The lowest paid on the list was Sopel, who is the BBC's North America editor, who earned around $320,000 in the same timeframe. This is in contrast to Gracie's previous salary of $190,000 per year.

When she quit, Gracie took to her blog and wrote that the BBC "is breaking equality law and resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure." And it seems as though her words have made an important impact already.

Clearly, change is needed when it comes to equal pay at the BBC, and with several male employers taking major pay cuts, the problem is gradually being addressed. But the six male employees named as having taken pay cuts, only mark the beginning of change in a system much in need of overhaul.