That Pay Gap

I came across a rather disturbing article on Sunday, covered by many mainstream media outlets including The Courier Mail and Daily Telegraph, about the gender pay gap within Channel 9's The NRL Footy Show. You can see one of the articles here.

As a future journalist who admires female sports reporters I was utterly disappointed to learn of the reported $700 000 pay disparity between co-host Erin Molan and funny guy Beau Ryan. I think both of these presenters do a fantastic job on the show and I am not discrediting the influence of Mr Ryan, but I can honestly say that I feel this pay gap is utterly disgusting and completely disrespectful.

I can't possibly understand why there would be such a large difference between Molan, who hosts the more serious elements of the program and takes on feature interviews with respected coaches and players, compared to Ryan, who brushes shoulders with Hollywood superstars and adds light-hearted segments full of vox pops and comedic analysis.

As a co-host and the first full-time female panellist in the show's 22 year history, I would assume that Molan should be earning the same if not more than fellow panellist Ryan. Having 10 years experience in the sports journalism industry, I feel gives grounds for a sufficient pay rise.

After sharing the article on Facebook I had a comment that read:

"Men get paid more than women when it comes to anything sport related it's just how it is."

I understand this statement as it seems there is a huge difference between men and women in the sporting world, something I think we are slowly trying to overcome. However, implying that there is nothing we can do about it aggravates me. In the 21st century I fail to understand why some people think women should just accept that they are not as worthy as their male counterparts and as a result suffer a severe pay gap.

As a 19-year-old independent and confident woman hoping to become successful in a largely top level male dominated industry, seeing this kind of gender discrimination makes me extremely angry and disappointed in society. The reality is there are still CEO's somewhere negotiating smaller contracts from women because of their gender. That's not okay.

#ashleighdwan #beyondthestory #journalism #erinmolan #beauryan