BBC denies sexism over reporters' payLeigh Holmwood

Friday December 8, 2006

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1967982,00.html

A BBC executive involved in setting salary levels for news correspondents has defended the corporation against charges of sexism after it was revealed that female reporters earn on average £6,500 less than their male counterparts.

The deputy head of newsgathering, Jonathan Baker, said that the sex of a correspondent "absolutely isn't a factor" when it came to deciding pay, but conceded that "the figures might seem to point that way".

"There are always many factors to take into consideration," he said on the BBC's news website editors' blog.

"These include experience, level of contribution to the news output, performance and profile. The hardest area to put your finger on is talent - that element of individuality, personality and star quality which people bring to the air waves."

He said the disparity between men and women correspondents came about because a majority of the BBC's senior correspondents were men, and hence were paid more than their more junior colleagues. However, he admitted this was "an issue in itself".

It was revealed this morning that female reporters on the BBC's flagship television news bulletins earned on average £6,500 less than their male counterparts.

Citing figures released under the corporation's freedom of information scheme, The Independent said the average female news correspondent working for the BBC1 1pm, 6pm and 10pm bulletins was paid £59,050, compared with £65,625 for a male correspondent. The average age of a female correspondent is 41, while it is 46 for men.

Separate figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that in the past five years the number of BBC staff earning more than £100,000 has risen threefold.

My opinion: I think that everywhere women get discriminated because of their sex. Even as a career women or as a mother women are still not in control. I believe that women who do have jobs and are striving for high status jobs are effected by the GLASS CEILING. This means that women can only achieve to a certain extent. As a sociology student i have also researched that men prefer employing male staff as they are more reliable They feel as though there is no piont hiring females as because assuming they will have children and leave the job anyway. Even though BBC are supposed to me mainstream this article shows that traditional ideologies are not completely gone and that we do live in a patriachal society. I think it is very hard to change this although some women do work hard in their jobs such as celebrities singers etc.. however to become notices i feel as though women have to be EXCEPTIONALLY good and good looking in order to get noticed. Issue's like this encourages women to either work twice as hard or just be models objects of the male gaze. Hopefully this will all change. women like the ones in the BBC are starting to take action towards this sexist treatement.