Angela Crawley MP for Lanark and Hamilton East has criticised the BBC’s gender disparity in its recent release of salaries.

Last week the BBC made public the pay of stars earning more than £150,000 – more than two thirds of whom are male.

This is the first time the BBC has ever publicly released such information and now does so under terms of its new royal charter.

The published figures revealed that the corporation’s top earning male personality was paid at least four times as much as its highest paid female earner.

The report also showed that at least two-thirds of BBC stars earning more than £150,000 are male, with the top seven earners also all being male.

Only two females featured in the BBC’s top ten earners list.
Ms Crawley’s criticism follows her work with the Women and Equalities Committee, which has been at the forefront of pushing for equality in the workplace.

The House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee published a report last year outlining 17 recommendations on tackling the gender pay gap.

The Conservative government’s response to this report was described by committee members as “completely unacceptable” and “inadequate”.

Commenting, Ms Crawley said: “I am disappointed to see such a stark disparity between male and female pay at the BBC.

“More work needs to be done across society to bring equality to the work place.

“While you would be hard pressed to find someone who believes men and women are not equal, gender equality is not reflected in the labour market, and the BBC report makes that clear.

“That talented women are being remunerated at a lower rate than their male colleagues – be it based on amount per hour or number of hours worked – shows a difference in value down gender lines, and that needs to be addressed.”