Alesha Dixon adds voice to gender pay gap: ongoing issue of women not being paid the same as men

It was a pivotal moment in human history when in 2018 all the women in Iceland chose to walk out of their workplaces at 2.55pm. Even the prime minister of Iceland, Katrin Jakobsdottir, walked out in solidarity.

The reason? The gender pay gap. They chose to leave work at 2.55pm as this was the time at which women were effectively working for free compared to the wages of their male counterparts.

Fast-forward to 2023 and the issue is the same. In fact, the Institute for Fiscal Studies claimed that the gender pay gap has seen “barely any change” over the past 25 years once increases in women’s education are accounted for.

Alesha Dixon may not seem the obvious female to shout about gender wage equality, after all, she's reportedly earning £850,000 to judge Britain's Got Talent. Alesha, alongside her co-judge Amanda Holden, have been on the show since 2012 and 2007, respectively, and now, the pair are both refusing to sign contracts for the latest series of Britain's Got Talent, due to begin filming at the start of February 2023.

The two women are said to be furious that new judge Bruno Tonioli, 67, who is replacing David Walliams, will see his new salary match their own - at an estimated £850,000.

According to a source who spoke to the Mail Online: 'Amanda has been on BGT for 17 years, while Alesha is going into her eleventh year. They don't think it's fair a newcomer could walk into the show and be handed the same deal as them'.

Bruno Tonioli has previously been a judge on Strictly Come Dancing in the UK and America, and no doubt executives at ITV could justify the wage by saying he has a wealth of judging experience. It does open the question of pay disparity and transparency.

Many people in various lines of work never find out exactly what their colleagues are earning. Only companies which are paid for by the public purse, such as the BBC and Civil Aviation Authority, are required to reveal the wages between men and women in their workforce.

The Sex Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act was introduced back in 1970, however widespread progress towards financial equality has been limited.

On International Women’s Day 2022, the Gender Pay Gap Bot took to Twitter to highlight the difference in pay between men and women at each organisation posting in support of the cause.

The account, which has since amassed over 250,000 followers, shared in response to the government report: "Gender pay gap data for 2021-2022 is released today. Shall we take a look at who’s closing the gap, and who’s widening it?"

Michelle Williams, the actress from Brokeback Mountain and latest release The Fabelmans, has addressed her own experience of being underpaid for the same work as a man.

On the Graham Norton Show on 20 January 2023 she spoke of her wage disparity on the film All the Money in the World, an ironic film name for the subject of gender pay gaps.

"I had $80 a day to do the re-shoots," said Michelle to Graham, as he looked at her incredulously. This was in contrast to her co-star Mark Wahlberg who got $5 million for the movie. Michelle was paid $625,000 in total for the film.

"Did you know?" asked Norton.

"I hadn't known at the time, no,", she replied. This lack of transparency is often the key point.

Michelle took her fight for equal pay to Capitol Hill in 2019. The actress joined Nancy Pelosi to show her support for the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that aims to close the wage gap.

In a short speech, Williams spoke about her own high-profile run-in with the issue. In her speech, Williams recalled feeling 'paralysed [by] futility' after the news broke.

"I’ve been a working actress since the age of 12," she continued. "I’ve been accredited by my industry at the highest levels, and that still didn’t translate to equal compensation."

Iceland has made it illegal for men to be paid more for the same job as a woman. The fact Iceland is a small nation, with a population of approximately 372,000, made it easier to coordinate a full-scale walk-out in 2018.

Can the UK catch up on targets to ensure gender pay equality? At current estimates, it will take many more generations.