The idea of meritocracy — that hard work will be rewarded with success — has been an intrinsic belief within the U.K. for years, despite it constantly being proven as a myth. This was proven again last week when the BBC released their annual report documenting their finances, including their top earners — and surprisingly, it was dominated by white men. Out of the top 10 BBC salaries, only 3 belong to women and not one was from a minority ethnic background. This new information coming to light has sparked outrage from women across the country, with Labour’s Harriet Harman urging the BBC to stop using public money to discriminate against women and many others are calling for the License Fee to be abolished.
But why does the BBC publish a yearly audit, and should they continue to do it?
The BBC is considered a key institution within the U.K., with an increasing worldwide engagement also. At the beginning of every year, the BBC has a Royal Charter which ensures that they remain independent and non-commercial, unlike other big channels like ITV and Channel 4. This year the Charter outlined that the BBC would have to publish the salaries of all those earning above £150,000, unlike previous years which saw only those earning over £450,000. It’s considered important that these figures become public knowledge because they’re in the public’s interest. The BBC is funded via License Fee and therefore is paid for directly by the taxpayer rather than through advertising. As an institution which aims to represent everyone in the U.K., regardless of race, age, gender or faith, the public should see how their money is spent and if the channel really is as representative as it makes out. How you treat your workers can be an effective way of judging how much you consider and value your audience.
What were the key findings from this audit?
The top seven earners were all male, with stars like Chris Evans earning at least £2.2 million and Gary Lineker earning at least £1.75 million. This is in comparison with the top female earner Claudia Winkleman, who presents Strictly Come Dancing which was the second highest rating show of 2016 (13.3 million viewers), is said to get £500,000 maximum for her work for the channel. It’s bewildering how a woman that presents a show whose finale had its biggest audience since 2011 is earning 4x less than Chris Evans who presented Top Gear for one series and faced failing ratings and constant newspaper criticism. Other female earners in the top 10 include Fiona Bruce, presenter of BBC News and Antiques Roadshow amongst others, who earns a maximum of £400,000, unlike her male counterpart Huw Edwards who earns at least £550,000, ranking at number six. However their colleague and fellow presenter George Alagiah, the highest earning BME star on the BBC, only enters the list at number 26. I think you recognise a key trend here, though it’s shocking when comparing female stars with men that do the exact same job, or in some cases less, yet with paychecks that sky-rocket. An example of this is Mel Giedroyc, most notably the presenter of The Great British Bake Off – a show which is adored by nearly 16 million people in the U.K., though she also presents shows like Let It Be and Pitch Battle. Mel Giedroyc is said to earn a minimum of £150,000, coming nowhere near the top 10 earners. However, when you compare her salary with that of Nick Knowles, most known for D.I.Y. S.O.S. which I have fond memories of from 2006, it’s unbelievable. Nick Knowles earns at least £300,000. That’s 2x what Mel Giedroyc earns, and she presented the top rated show of 2016.
https://twitter.com/LiannaBrinded/status/889030177686257664
Out of 96 BBC Presenters on more than £150k:
Two thirds are men
10 are non-white
2 non-white men earn £250-300k
0 non-white women on £250k+— Tina Daheley (@TinaDaheley) July 19, 2017
I'm looking forward to presenting @BBCWomansHour today. We'll be discussing #GenderPayGap . As we've done since 1946. Going well, isn't it? https://t.co/j2M6oQBqde
— Jane Garvey (@janegarvey1) July 19, 2017
This is what’s so shocking about this BBC audit. We have a channel which champions everyone in society, or claims to anyway. A channel which aims to reflect everyone, give unbiased and fair views, protect and reflect the key values in our society. And yet they underpay female talent, let alone ignoring and forgetting the B.M.E. stars that help make the BBC so great. It’s shocking because it’s a blatant reassurance of the glass ceiling that exists for women in the workplace – it doesn’t matter how well you perform or how good you are at your job, there will always be a man that will come off better than you. Because there are employers that still don’t see women as worthy or as equal as men. It’s shocking because you have men, like Tom Chambers, who believe that this gender gap is fine because “men are the breadwinners, and their salary supports the wife and kids at home.” Yeah, you can’t make this up. There are still people will ignore a gender pay gap exists because some policy was passed years ago that said we should be paid the same, ignoring that this is the realities of women both at the top of the career ladder and at the bottom. It doesn’t matter if you’re the presenter of the best show on TV, or if you’re working a zero hour contract job — this is something you will have to experience, and it doesn’t matter what laws are passed. Theresa May said “We have seen how the BBC is paying women less for doing the same job as men… I think it is important the BBC carries on publishing figures in the future so we can see their progress.” And I have to say, for the first time, I agree with her.
