Why Robin Wright’s fight for pay equity sends a significant message

House of Cards’ Robin Wright recently spoke out about how she had to fight to be paid as much as her male counterpart, Kevin Spacey, on the show. She cited the fact that Claire Underwood (the character she portrays) is equal to Frank Underwood (Claire’s husband, portrayed by Kevin Spacey) on the show, a rare instance in film and TV. She found statistics where her character was more popular than Spacey’s for a period of time. She threatened to go public. The execs finally gave her her fair share.

The issue of women’s pay in Hollywood has recently gotten a lot of attention. Jennifer Lawrence wrote an op-ed in 2015 titled “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?” where she talks about her negotiations with Sony to get equal pay as her male costars on the set of American Hustle. Boyhood actress Patricia Arquette used her Oscar speech to address the issue of the pay gap and has met with repercussions for it. In 2013, Janet Hubert (also known as the original Aunt Viv) explained why she left The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: studio execs were cutting her appearances on the show (which would mean $150,000 lost per year on her salary) and telling her she couldn’t perform anywhere else. She tried to enlist co-star Will Smith in her negotiations to lend some leverage to her argument, but Smith refused.

Many people would argue that these actresses are whining about “first world problems,” that Robin Wright and Jennifer Lawrence are far from destitution and getting way more money than most of us can even dream of. But that’s not the point. The point is that many women out there are just barely making ends meet, being paid less than their male co-workers, and don’t have the power to negotiate or speak out about it. Hollywood actresses can set a precedent wherein it becomes acceptable for women to negotiate their pay without losing their jobs. The most powerful women in media should share their experience because, while they probably aren’t at risk of having to choose between food and the water bill, they have the privilege of having their voice heard, and should use it for the sake of women who cannot be heard.

There are many people who deny that the pay gap even exists, such as Karin Agness, contributor to Forbes and founder of Network of enlightened Women (an organization for conservative college women). In her article, “Don’t Buy Into The Gender Pay Gap Myth,” she’s super cool by providing evidence from the White House, the American Association of University Women, and the National Organization for Women to prove that the pay gap does, in fact, exist, but uses a Slate article to defend her own argument (basically, that the pay gap can be explained by the choices that women make, which can be argued against by this New York Times article that shows that, once women enter a male-dominated profession, the pay drops dramatically). Truly beautiful stuff.

There’s more evidence than not that the pay gap between men and women is real. But what can we do about it? The Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009 was passed to protect women who face pay discrimination, but clearly we still have a long way to go. The Center for American Progress, an independent nonpartisan policy organization, suggests raising the minimum wage, increasing pay transparency, and providing childcare and family leave for workers.

The concept of pay transparency is particularly relevant when we relate Robin Wright’s fight for equal pay to the wage gap that millions of American women must deal with. Robin Wright was able to know what her male coworkers were making and use that to negotiate her pay. Not many women have that opportunity. However, with prominent women such as actresses and politicians bringing forth their stories of unfair pay, we can hopefully create a future where women throughout the country have the ability and the empowerment to advocate for themselves and be paid their fair share.

Seeing the wage gap discussed in any context is particularly important to me as a recent graduate entering the working world. Women my age, graduating college, in their early twenties, are horribly aware of how rough it is to enter the job market, find a position that actually pays you (that you are neither “underqualified” or “overqualified” for), and be able to move up in position. Young, female graduates, despite being highly educated and qualified, have the extra burden of not being able to be paid as much as their male counterparts, and will have to face the extra struggles of lack of maternity leave in childcare if they choose to have children in the future. We are continuing a fight that our grandmothers and mothers fought, and we’re doing so while trying to swim out of student debt and the rising cost of living with our internships and minimum wage jobs that can’t sustain us. So maybe I’m far from a millionaire actress, but hearing the message of wage discrimination based on gender reach the mainstream is heartening for people that are hungry for change.