Martina Navratilova hits out at the BBC for difference in salary between men and women
Former tennis star and current pundit Martina Navratilova has hit out at the BBC for paying her male counterpart John McEnroe at least 10 times more than her, according to a report on the Independent.
The Wimbledon pundit spoke out after finding that the BBC was paying her significantly less than McEnroe, who does almost the exact same job as her.
The nine-time Wimbledon champion revealed that she earned about £15,000 for helping to cover Wimbledon, whereas McEnroe got between £150,000 and £199,999.
She has been left disgusted by the difference in payment and claims that the BBC gives preference to male voices over female ones.
When speaking about the issue, she said:
It was a shock because John McEnroe makes at least £150,000. I get about £15,000 for Wimbledon and unless John McEnroe’s doing a whole bunch of stuff outside of Wimbledon he’s getting at least 10 times as much money for very comparable work.
(I’m) not happy. It’s shocking. It’s still the good old boys’ network. The bottom line is that male voices are valued more than women’s voices.
The 61-year-old has claimed that in the future she will ask for more money from the company, who has given an instant response to her claim, outlining that gender isn’t the issue behind the difference in payment.
The BBC believes that the role of Navratilova cannot compare to what McEnroe does and they are adamant that McEnroe is one of the faces of the tournament, whereas Navratilova isn’t.
Navratilova’s interview with ‘Panorama’ will be aired tonight at 7:30 PM on BBC1.