Mind the gap! Women stars join Carrie’s war on pay divide
HUnDREDS of BBC staff protested over equal pay outside the Corporation’s headquarters yesterday.
Former China editor Carrie Gracie, who has spearheaded the campaign, was greeted with cheers by the 400- strong crowd who held posters with equals signs, before leading chants of ‘What do we want? Equal pay. When do we want it? now.’ Stars including Woman’s Hour host Jane Garvey, Today presenter Sarah Montague, chief international correspondent lyse Doucet and education editor Branwen Jeffreys also joined the International Women’s Day protest.
They left their desks at 4.22pm – 9 per cent short of a nine-to-five working day – to highlight the Corporation’s 9 per cent pay gap. Miss Gracie, who resigned as China editor after finding she was paid considerably less than the two male international editors, said: ‘You can see the strength of feeling today.’
Miss Garvey said they were ‘determined to make the point’ that a 9 per cent gap was not good enough. The BBC pledged to close the gender pay gap by 2020.