It may be 2018, but women in the United States are still paid much less than men for doing the same jobs. By the most recent estimates, women make 83 cents for every dollar men do, and that number is even worse for women of color. In honor of Equal Pay Day, here are 32 quotes to get you inspired to fight for what you deserve.
1. "In my career so far, I’ve needed my male co-stars to take a pay cut so that I may have parity with them. And that’s something they do for me because they feel it’s what’s right and fair. That’s something that’s also not discussed, necessarily—that our getting equal pay is going to require people to selflessly say, “That’s what’s fair.” If my male co-star, who has a higher quote than me but believes we are equal, takes a pay cut so that I can match him, that changes my quote in the future and changes my life," — Emma Stone in an interview with Out Magazine in 2017
2. I was told that female actors are replaceable in films because they just stand behind a guy anyway. I’m still used to being paid—like most actresses around the world—a lot less than the boys. We’re told we’re too provocative or that being sexy is our strength, which it can be, and it is, but that’s not the only thing we have.... It’ll be scary. There will be strife. But women have incredible endurance and incredible strength. Your ability to deal with it is within you." — Priyanka Chopra in a 2017 interview with Glamour
3. "I was just so grateful when I had the opportunity to do what I loved that I never once stopped to complain that I wasn't getting paid as much as my fellow co-stars or male counterparts.... I don't think standing up for myself for equal pay is complaining or something I should be afraid of." — Gina Rodriguez in an interview with CNN in 2017
4. “When I joined four teammates in filing a wage-discrimination complaint against U.S. Soccer late last month, it had nothing to do with how much I love to play for my country. It had everything to do with what’s right and what’s fair and with upholding a fundamental American concept: Equal pay for equal play.” —Carli Lloyd, in a New York Times article from March 2016
5. "Throughout my career, there have been moments when I have been insulted, sidelined, paid less, creatively ignored, and otherwise diminished based on my gender. And always, I tried to give people the benefit of the doubt; maybe they knew more, maybe they had more experience, maybe there was something I was missing. I taught myself that to succeed as a woman in this industry I had to play by the rules of the boy's club. But the older I got and the longer I worked in this industry, the more I realized that it's bullshit! And, worse, that I was complicit in allowing it to happen." — Mila Kunis in an essay for A Plus on why she decided to start her own production company
6. “In the past few months, I’ve become convinced of one thing: If I were a man, I’d be paid more. I realize that some people may not sympathize with an actress who gets to be in movies and on TV for a living. But if you take away names and vocations, the fact is that in 2015 a man is still getting paid more money to do the same job a woman does, in Hollywood and everywhere else. And no matter where you live or what you do, that’s bullsh-t.” —Judy Greer, in a Glamour article from May 2015
7. “There are very few films or TV shows where the male, the patriarch, and the matriarch are equal. And they are in House of Cards. … I was looking at the statistics and Claire Underwood’s character was more popular than [Frank’s] for a period of time. So I capitalized on it. I was like, ‘You better pay me or I’m going to go public.’ And they did.” —Robin Wright, at an event for the Rockefeller Foundation in May 2016
8. "I am in the rare position to be financially successful beyond my imagination. I had talent, I worked like crazy and I was lucky enough to break through. But today isn’t about me. It’s about the other 24 million black women in America. If I never picked up a tennis racket, I would be one of them; that is never lost on me." — Serena Williams in a 2017 essay for Fortune
9. "I want to be paid fairly for the work that I’m doing. That’s what every single woman around the world wants. We want to be paid on parity with a man in a similar position." —Felicity Jones, in the November 2016 issue of Glamour
10. "But the truth is, we still have so much more to do. Take the fact that women around the world still don’t have equal pay, or that nine countries around the world don’t provide for paid maternity leave. When you look at the facts, you have to ask yourself: Where do we really stand when it comes to gender equality? The answer is: We’re just not there yet.” —America Ferrera, in an email to supporters of the Clinton Foundation in March 2015
11. "It's our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America." —Patricia Arquette, at the 2015 Academy Awards
12. "Imagine you're a little girl. You're growing up. You practice as hard as you can, with girls, with boys. You have a dream. You fight, you work, you sacrifice to get to this stage. You work as hard as anyone you know. And then you get to this stage, and you're told you're not the same as a boy. Almost as good, but not quite the same. Think how devastating and demoralizing that could be." —Venus Williams, at a July 2005 Grand Slam Committee meeting
13. "We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn't a reality yet. Today, women make up half of the U.S. workforce, but the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change." —Beyoncé, in The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Pushes Back from the Brink
14. "In this day and age, it's about equality. It's about equal rights. It's about equal pay. We're pushing for that. We believe now the time is right because we believe it's our responsibility for women's sports and specifically for women's soccer to do whatever it takes to push for equal pay and equal rights. And to be treated with respect." —Hope Solo, on the Today show in 2016, about the wage discrimination action taken against the U.S. Soccer Federation
15. "When a politician is against equal pay for women and/or ENDA, I think it begs the question, should they be a politician?" —Ellen Page, in a tweet from 2014
16. "They could always use him as leverage against me — 'We don't need you; we have Patrick [Dempsey]' — which they did for years.... At one point, I asked for $5,000 more than [Patrick] just on principle, because the show is Grey's Anatomy and I'm Meredith Grey. They wouldn't give it to me. And I could have walked away, so why didn't I? It's my show; I'm the number one. I'm sure I felt what a lot of these other actresses feel: Why should I walk away from a great part because of a guy? You feel conflicted but then you figure, 'I'm not going to let a guy drive me out of my own house.'" —Ellen Pompeo in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, discussing how she had to fight for her salary after Patrick Dempsey left the show
17. "A few years ago, on one of my big-budget films, I found I was being paid 10 percent of what my male co-star was getting, and we were pretty even in status. I think people think because I'm easygoing and game to do things, I'll just take as little as they offer. But it's not about how much you get, it's about how fair it is." —Amanda Seyfried, in a 2015 interview with the Sunday Times
18. "When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn't want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don't need." —Jennifer Lawrence, in a Lenny Letter article from October 2015
19."Women don't get equal pay, there are not as many women in government positions or business positions. It's just not equal. And until there is equality, you're going to feel that, in any industry. But I was like, girls should have an equal seat at the table. Take Jennifer Lawrence. I mean, she's opening films — she's the box-office draw just as much as any guy, if not more. She should be compensated for that." —Jessica Alba, in the April 2016 issue of Cosmopolitan UK
20. "The reality is that if we do nothing, it will take 75 years, or for me to be nearly a hundred, before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work." —Emma Watson, at an event for the HeForShe Campaign in 2014
21. “You can take a no probably once or twice, but do you want to be somewhere ten years where the answer’s always no and you’re working your ass off?” — Catt Sadler in an interview with Cosmopolitan.com on her departure from E! upon learning her co-host, Jason Kennedy, made more money than her
22. "There's no excuse. There's no reason why [Jennifer Lawrence] should be doing a film with other actors and get paid less than her male co-stars. It's completely unfair. It's not right. It's been happening for years and years and years. I think it's brave to talk about it. I think everyone should talk about it." —Jessica Chastain, at the red carpet premiere of Crimson Peak, in reaction to Jennifer Lawrence's Lenny Letter piece
23. "If fighting for equal pay and paid family leave is playing the gender card, then deal me in!" —Hillary Clinton, in Harlem at the Apollo Theater in March 2016
24. "It was a play with just two of us onstage and I was offered less than half of what he was going to be paid. If it was two men, it wouldn't probably happen. Sad, but I walked away … The only way is to make a stand. We are going to have to make sacrifices to make change. I want to turn up and feel dignified." —Sienna Miller, in the October 2015 issue of Vogue UK
25. "When I started teaching elementary school after college, the public school district didn't hide the fact that it had two pay scales: one for men and one for women. Women have made incredible strides since then. But 40 years later, we're still debating equal pay for equal work." —Elizabeth Warren, in an op-ed for ABC News in 2014
26. "It can be frustrating. It can be painful. Your salary is a way to quantify what you're worth. If men are being paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels shitty." —Gwyneth Paltrow, in a 2015 Variety article
27. "If it was just women getting paid less than men then that would just be one thing, but even among women, especially according to race and privilege, there are a lot of women who are getting paid more than even some men are. It's a very complex situation when you think about what are black women making in comparison to white women, what are Latin women making, what are Asian women making in comparison, and it gets even more convoluted." —Rosario Dawson,in a 2015 interview with MTV News
28. "If you were to really look at it, the boys are still getting more money for a lot of garbage, while the ladies are hustling and doing amazing work for less." —Tina Fey, to Town and Country in March 2016
29. "In our view, the court does not comprehend, or is indifferent to, the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination." —Ruth Bader Ginsburg, speaking for the dissenting justices in Ledbetter v. Goodyear
30. "This is a good time for us to bring this to a place of fairness, and girls need to know that being a feminist is a good thing. It doesn't mean that you hate men. It means equal rights. If you're doing the same job, you should be compensated and treated in the same way." —Charlize Theron, in the June 2015 issue of Elle UK
31. "If you have the same capacities and you are doing the same job, it is criminal not to [be paid] the same salary." —Salma Hayek at Variety's Power of Women luncheon in 2015
32. "What are you telling your daughter when she grows up? 'You've got to just understand that you're a girl. You have a vagina. So that's not as valuable.'" —Viola Davis, in a 2016 interview with Mashable
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Isabel is a full-time freelance writer covering all things lifestyle, sex, and wellness. She is very obviously a bisexual Gemini and lives in Seattle with her fiancé and 3 cats. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Yahoo, CNN, and more. She is also the founder and CEO of Rumination Storytellers, a creative brand marketing agency. Follow her on Instagram.
