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Equal: A Story of Women, Men and Money
Equal is an inspiring, personal and campaigning book about how we should and can fight for equal pay and other kinds of equality in the workplace, by former BBC China editor Carrie Gracie. Gracie joined a group of high-profile BBC women who challenged the national broadcaster over equal pay after enforced disclosures revealed huge gaps between top men and women. Gracie had insisted on equal pay at the time of her China posting, and after trying with other BBC women to put things right through negotiation, she eventually resigned her post complaining publicly of a 'secretive and illegal' pay culture. Her protest triggered a parliamentary inquiry into BBC pay, and after a protracted internal complaints process, she won an apology from the BBC and a settlement which she donated to the Fawcett Society. In Equal Gracie will tell her own story, explore why it is often so hard for women to assert their value in the workplace and give practical guidance on what women, men and employers can do to achieve equality for this and future generations of women.
288 pages, hardcover
First published September 5, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 20, 2019
I am grateful to NetGalley and Virago for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review. What a book!
This is a fantastic read and an important book about a topic that, as the author notes, it feels strange to have to be still talking about in this day and age.
The author, a well-known and award-winning BBC journalist, chronicles her fight to get equal pay for her job as China editor for the corporation. The BBC is publicly funded, and after some pressures, in 2017 they published the salaries of the highest paid of their employees. All of them happened to be white males. Gracie, who was the China editor at the time, was surprised to see that the USA editor was earning almost double her salary, when one of the conditions she had asked for when she accepted the job (she was highly qualified for it, as she had studied Mandarin at university, had lived in China, married a Chinese, and had lived there and worked there on and off for long periods of time) was that her pay would be equal to that of male colleagues doing a similar job, and the comparison agreed was the USA editor. She was not the only female employee to take issue with the list of salaries and while Gracie chronicles her own fight (it was hard and arduous to put it mildly), she also emphasises the importance of the support of her colleagues and the encouragement she received from family, friends, and strangers who also told her their stories.
Although Gracie explains her story and how she felt, she is not a reporter for nothing, and she goes about the task of discussing equal pay for women (although she also acknowledges and talks about other types of discrimination: race, sexual, disabilities…) in a methodical manner, quoting facts and figures all over the world, talking about the law, the developments over time, the different cases that brought about new legislation, and intersperses this with a chronological account of the stages of her grievance with the BBC. Although her references to the law and the grievance process are specific to the UK (and to her organisation), the principles are applicable to many other cases, and the examples she uses are universal, unfortunately. She does recognise that she is privileged (she had access to free legal advice, she was able to resign from her job without being concerned about her financial situation, and she had another position to go back to), and she did not feel she was badly paid, but felt she had been treated unfairly, and she had to take a stand, not only for herself, but also for others.
The process she had to undergo was soul destroying, not only for the types of games and techniques used (she mentions Orwell in a number of occasions, but Kafka’s The Trial and Terry Gillian’s Brazil also come to mind), but also because she loves the BBC, believes what it stands for and felt terribly disappointed by the way they behaved. She tried to see things from their point of view and gave them the benefit of the doubt, but she was stretched almost to breaking point. This is not a fiction book, so there are no real spoilers, but I’ll leave you to read exactly how things settled in the end.
Apart from the interest of the story itself (and it is gripping), Gracie is a compelling writer, and she is evidently passionate about the topic, although that does not make her lose her objectivity. She does talk about her own battle, and she does mention the effect it had on her, how it made her feel, and the way it made her question her beliefs and, at times, even her own sanity, but she does not spend an excessive amount of time on that, and she focuses on providing useful advice and guidance for others. The back matter of the book includes a section of acknowledgements, an epilogue with cases and data that have come to light since the resolution of her complaint, also advice she provides to companies, men, and women, resources (including videos, books, information about a variety of organisations, links to important documents), and detailed notes for all the chapters, with references and links to all documents, studies, and cases she mentions.
Here a tiny sample from the book:
But when it comes to deep-rooted patterns of power and money, history shows time and again that justice for women does not come through patient persuasion. Instead women must find their power and use it. In January 2018, I went over my employer’s head to write directly to the public because I wanted an end to pay discrimination in my workplace and my bosses weren’t listening. The answering echo from women everywhere made me feel the BBC was a mirror of the society it served.
In sum, this is a fascinating book, and one that is bound to make many readers’ blood boil. Why are things still like this in this day and age? This is an important book, well-written, full of valuable information and much food for thought, no matter what your gender, your position, or your status may be. Go and read it, and share it with others. The fight is not over.
This is a fantastic read and an important book about a topic that, as the author notes, it feels strange to have to be still talking about in this day and age.
The author, a well-known and award-winning BBC journalist, chronicles her fight to get equal pay for her job as China editor for the corporation. The BBC is publicly funded, and after some pressures, in 2017 they published the salaries of the highest paid of their employees. All of them happened to be white males. Gracie, who was the China editor at the time, was surprised to see that the USA editor was earning almost double her salary, when one of the conditions she had asked for when she accepted the job (she was highly qualified for it, as she had studied Mandarin at university, had lived in China, married a Chinese, and had lived there and worked there on and off for long periods of time) was that her pay would be equal to that of male colleagues doing a similar job, and the comparison agreed was the USA editor. She was not the only female employee to take issue with the list of salaries and while Gracie chronicles her own fight (it was hard and arduous to put it mildly), she also emphasises the importance of the support of her colleagues and the encouragement she received from family, friends, and strangers who also told her their stories.
Although Gracie explains her story and how she felt, she is not a reporter for nothing, and she goes about the task of discussing equal pay for women (although she also acknowledges and talks about other types of discrimination: race, sexual, disabilities…) in a methodical manner, quoting facts and figures all over the world, talking about the law, the developments over time, the different cases that brought about new legislation, and intersperses this with a chronological account of the stages of her grievance with the BBC. Although her references to the law and the grievance process are specific to the UK (and to her organisation), the principles are applicable to many other cases, and the examples she uses are universal, unfortunately. She does recognise that she is privileged (she had access to free legal advice, she was able to resign from her job without being concerned about her financial situation, and she had another position to go back to), and she did not feel she was badly paid, but felt she had been treated unfairly, and she had to take a stand, not only for herself, but also for others.
The process she had to undergo was soul destroying, not only for the types of games and techniques used (she mentions Orwell in a number of occasions, but Kafka’s The Trial and Terry Gillian’s Brazil also come to mind), but also because she loves the BBC, believes what it stands for and felt terribly disappointed by the way they behaved. She tried to see things from their point of view and gave them the benefit of the doubt, but she was stretched almost to breaking point. This is not a fiction book, so there are no real spoilers, but I’ll leave you to read exactly how things settled in the end.
Apart from the interest of the story itself (and it is gripping), Gracie is a compelling writer, and she is evidently passionate about the topic, although that does not make her lose her objectivity. She does talk about her own battle, and she does mention the effect it had on her, how it made her feel, and the way it made her question her beliefs and, at times, even her own sanity, but she does not spend an excessive amount of time on that, and she focuses on providing useful advice and guidance for others. The back matter of the book includes a section of acknowledgements, an epilogue with cases and data that have come to light since the resolution of her complaint, also advice she provides to companies, men, and women, resources (including videos, books, information about a variety of organisations, links to important documents), and detailed notes for all the chapters, with references and links to all documents, studies, and cases she mentions.
Here a tiny sample from the book:
But when it comes to deep-rooted patterns of power and money, history shows time and again that justice for women does not come through patient persuasion. Instead women must find their power and use it. In January 2018, I went over my employer’s head to write directly to the public because I wanted an end to pay discrimination in my workplace and my bosses weren’t listening. The answering echo from women everywhere made me feel the BBC was a mirror of the society it served.
In sum, this is a fascinating book, and one that is bound to make many readers’ blood boil. Why are things still like this in this day and age? This is an important book, well-written, full of valuable information and much food for thought, no matter what your gender, your position, or your status may be. Go and read it, and share it with others. The fight is not over.
December 22, 2019
[I received a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
A very interesting book in many ways, that also takes into account difficulties experienced by more women than just the author herself.
Carrie Gracie is/was obviously in what I’m going to call a “position of power” when this happened to her—in spite of not having equal pay, she still had very high pay (the kind of pay a high majority of people don’t and will never relate to), and in itself, this probably doesn’t invite readers in general to, well, relate (a.k.a “cry me a river, at least you’re not on a zero-hour contract). And I agree that this may easily lead readers, myself included, to see such reads as indeed interesting, but also too far away from most people’s daily reality.
This said, Gracie acknowledged this, and also definitely have a point when she states that, because of her advantages here, she was in a position to raise a dint about pay inequality problems, where women in more precarious jobs, earning much less and unable to get any kind of legal counsel (not to mention representation), wouldn’t have any other choice than either shut up or get fired, and probably end up in very dire straits. And -that- is without a doubt part of the problem: there’s still (too) much pressure applied on women, in too many places, when they don’t have the resources to push back, when even finding information about how to start pushing back is not easily available. If the ones who have enough resources to push back don’t do it, who is left?
After the list of the highest paid BBC employees was made public, Gracie wasn’t the only one who had concerns and was not just a little annoyed at what it revealed. Very interesting were the various “arguments” raised to justify why, as China editor, she didn’t earn as much as the (male) USA editor, such as suddenly mentioning that she was “in development” (after 3 years on the job?) when that had never been raised before. I don’t know how good (or not) she was at the job, but this should definitely not come out of the blue, “what a coincidence”, just after one demands equal pay. In the same way, sure, a company can justify higher salaries being paid to men because they’re more senior in their jobs—but that also begs the question, how come that, “what a coincidence”, those senior roles are still so often offered to (white) men? Obviously, when things are skewed in such a way, then yes, sure, “these salaries are higher.”
It was good to see, too, that many other women at the BBC took part in pushing back. Not all of them had the same resources as Gracie, but they worked together nonetheless to get things to progress. The book clearly acknowledges this, and also delves a little deeper into examples of what can happen in a workplace that tries to hide its pay inequality, how to recognise the signs, how to start the process to fight against it (for instance, the BBC didn’t want Gracie’s statements to be recorded, which led to many times rewritten transcripts—and a lot of wasted time—so this is something to keep in mind). Other examples highlight what men can do to help as well, all the more when they’re themselves in high positions, with high pay, but not only: anyone, at any level, can be an ally. Same for employers.
I’m not always sure about all the figures cited—I admit I didn’t cross-check absolutely everything, and sometimes it’s not always clear what exactly was taken into account (all jobs in a company, regardless of what they are? Or all jobs at the same level in a company?). The advice mentioned is also specific to the UK, so I’m not sure how useful it is for other countries. But at least it provides a basis, which is a good thing.
A very interesting book in many ways, that also takes into account difficulties experienced by more women than just the author herself.
Carrie Gracie is/was obviously in what I’m going to call a “position of power” when this happened to her—in spite of not having equal pay, she still had very high pay (the kind of pay a high majority of people don’t and will never relate to), and in itself, this probably doesn’t invite readers in general to, well, relate (a.k.a “cry me a river, at least you’re not on a zero-hour contract). And I agree that this may easily lead readers, myself included, to see such reads as indeed interesting, but also too far away from most people’s daily reality.
This said, Gracie acknowledged this, and also definitely have a point when she states that, because of her advantages here, she was in a position to raise a dint about pay inequality problems, where women in more precarious jobs, earning much less and unable to get any kind of legal counsel (not to mention representation), wouldn’t have any other choice than either shut up or get fired, and probably end up in very dire straits. And -that- is without a doubt part of the problem: there’s still (too) much pressure applied on women, in too many places, when they don’t have the resources to push back, when even finding information about how to start pushing back is not easily available. If the ones who have enough resources to push back don’t do it, who is left?
After the list of the highest paid BBC employees was made public, Gracie wasn’t the only one who had concerns and was not just a little annoyed at what it revealed. Very interesting were the various “arguments” raised to justify why, as China editor, she didn’t earn as much as the (male) USA editor, such as suddenly mentioning that she was “in development” (after 3 years on the job?) when that had never been raised before. I don’t know how good (or not) she was at the job, but this should definitely not come out of the blue, “what a coincidence”, just after one demands equal pay. In the same way, sure, a company can justify higher salaries being paid to men because they’re more senior in their jobs—but that also begs the question, how come that, “what a coincidence”, those senior roles are still so often offered to (white) men? Obviously, when things are skewed in such a way, then yes, sure, “these salaries are higher.”
It was good to see, too, that many other women at the BBC took part in pushing back. Not all of them had the same resources as Gracie, but they worked together nonetheless to get things to progress. The book clearly acknowledges this, and also delves a little deeper into examples of what can happen in a workplace that tries to hide its pay inequality, how to recognise the signs, how to start the process to fight against it (for instance, the BBC didn’t want Gracie’s statements to be recorded, which led to many times rewritten transcripts—and a lot of wasted time—so this is something to keep in mind). Other examples highlight what men can do to help as well, all the more when they’re themselves in high positions, with high pay, but not only: anyone, at any level, can be an ally. Same for employers.
I’m not always sure about all the figures cited—I admit I didn’t cross-check absolutely everything, and sometimes it’s not always clear what exactly was taken into account (all jobs in a company, regardless of what they are? Or all jobs at the same level in a company?). The advice mentioned is also specific to the UK, so I’m not sure how useful it is for other countries. But at least it provides a basis, which is a good thing.
September 10, 2019
Couldn’t put this down. Fascinating insight into the public scandal around Equal Pay at the BBC. At times I was in disbelief around the response to Carrie Gracie’s grievance claim and the general lack of understanding of valuing the work of women.
Also shed light on the Fawcett Society which I had never heard of but sounds like an excellent and much needed body.
All should read this - it’s written with employers, men and women in mind and all can benefit from reading this.
Also shed light on the Fawcett Society which I had never heard of but sounds like an excellent and much needed body.
All should read this - it’s written with employers, men and women in mind and all can benefit from reading this.
December 24, 2019
What’s up with MEN
June 14, 2020
Few people battle their employer and force them into a highly embarrassing admission that they had paid them unfairly for years. Even fewer then continue to work for the same company and hand their £360k settlement to a charity. But that’s what Carrie Gracie did.
Gracie was BBC News’ first China editor, leaving the role after 4 years in 2018 having been balked and brushed off in her attempts to get a coherent explanation from the BBC as to why she was paid so much less than other editors such as Jon Sopel and Jeremy Bowen. It was an exceptionally courageous step – it must take a ferocious level of nerve and determination to render yourself unemployed, and take on one of the world’s biggest and best known media organisations. Particularly when it’s an organisation you otherwise respect and love working for, and know that your actions will be seized upon by the dullards who pounce upon every opportunity to eviscerate or argue for the elimination of the BBC.
Upfront, Gracie clarifies that her issue with the BBC was about unequal pay- “Pay discrimination is the gender pay gap’s dirty secret”. It’s also illegal, unlike gender pay gaps, which aren’t. It’s a confusion that has to be addressed as it’s possible to pay men and women equally (same work, same pay) but still have a gender pay gap (more men in senior, higher earning positions than women).
On appointment Gracie made only one salary stipulation – to be paid equally with the America and Europe editors, and accepted the BBC’s offer trusting that her request would be met. She had no way of knowing for sure, because as she points out inequality is hard to tackle when companies have all the information and all the decision rights – “you can’t correct what you can’t see”. When the BBC were forced to publish all salaries higher than the Prime Minister’s £150k in 2017, Gracie discovered that despite being very well paid colleagues in equivalent positions such as Sopel (made America editor after Gracie was appointed) were earning between 50% to 100% more. The politically motivated decision to force the declaration of salaries was meant to damage the BBC’s ability to retain their biggest stars and weaken their requests for funding reaped a bigger dividend than expected thanks to the BBC’s ineptitude.
She makes it clear in the preface “I have tried to avoid score settling and instead be guided by the editorial values the BBC has taught me”. Laudable, but the end product is uneven. She notes that Bowen and John Simpson were generous with their help. Other names, by their omission, clearly were less so, but Gracie isn’t naming names. Her account of how the BBC responded to her claim is excruciating to read, a sequence of bluffs and missteps that relied on Gracie being far less tenacious than she turned out to be.
A personal frustration with the book is that each chapter mixes Gracie’s personal story, and in particular the story of how she pursued her claim, with a variety of statistics and studies that speak to unequal pay and wider aspects of sex discrimination. I know I’m in a minority here – it’s partly because I’ve already dipped into Caroline Criado Perez’s book “Invisible Women” which is much richer in terms of detailing gender bias, but also because I like a linear narrative. The last quarter of the book is given over to advice on how to frame a complaint as well as a variety of references and resources and I found myself wishing the whole book had been structured to split her story from the data and advice.
In January 2020 and the BBC had their backsides handed to them again in court when Samira Ahmed won a claim thought to be worth around £700k in back pay, whilst Sarah Montague announced she had already agreed a £400k settlement. A further monumental cock-up from Auntie saw an accidental disclosure of the names of 120 further claimants. It’s hard to imagine how they could have been more woeful.
As much as the free market ideologues have tired to make this purely about the BBC (and who have of course nothing to say about the wider issue of pay inequality), it’s worth noting that Asda, Tesco and the Co-Op are all in the midst of defending claims. Equal pay legislation was first given royal assent 50 years ago in May 1970, but the claims continue to average around 30,000 a year.
Gracie’s courage forced the BBC to confront their discrimination and opened the door for other women working there to seek redress. Sadly, the challenge for women elsewhere remains significant. A story worth reading.
Gracie was BBC News’ first China editor, leaving the role after 4 years in 2018 having been balked and brushed off in her attempts to get a coherent explanation from the BBC as to why she was paid so much less than other editors such as Jon Sopel and Jeremy Bowen. It was an exceptionally courageous step – it must take a ferocious level of nerve and determination to render yourself unemployed, and take on one of the world’s biggest and best known media organisations. Particularly when it’s an organisation you otherwise respect and love working for, and know that your actions will be seized upon by the dullards who pounce upon every opportunity to eviscerate or argue for the elimination of the BBC.
Upfront, Gracie clarifies that her issue with the BBC was about unequal pay- “Pay discrimination is the gender pay gap’s dirty secret”. It’s also illegal, unlike gender pay gaps, which aren’t. It’s a confusion that has to be addressed as it’s possible to pay men and women equally (same work, same pay) but still have a gender pay gap (more men in senior, higher earning positions than women).
On appointment Gracie made only one salary stipulation – to be paid equally with the America and Europe editors, and accepted the BBC’s offer trusting that her request would be met. She had no way of knowing for sure, because as she points out inequality is hard to tackle when companies have all the information and all the decision rights – “you can’t correct what you can’t see”. When the BBC were forced to publish all salaries higher than the Prime Minister’s £150k in 2017, Gracie discovered that despite being very well paid colleagues in equivalent positions such as Sopel (made America editor after Gracie was appointed) were earning between 50% to 100% more. The politically motivated decision to force the declaration of salaries was meant to damage the BBC’s ability to retain their biggest stars and weaken their requests for funding reaped a bigger dividend than expected thanks to the BBC’s ineptitude.
She makes it clear in the preface “I have tried to avoid score settling and instead be guided by the editorial values the BBC has taught me”. Laudable, but the end product is uneven. She notes that Bowen and John Simpson were generous with their help. Other names, by their omission, clearly were less so, but Gracie isn’t naming names. Her account of how the BBC responded to her claim is excruciating to read, a sequence of bluffs and missteps that relied on Gracie being far less tenacious than she turned out to be.
A personal frustration with the book is that each chapter mixes Gracie’s personal story, and in particular the story of how she pursued her claim, with a variety of statistics and studies that speak to unequal pay and wider aspects of sex discrimination. I know I’m in a minority here – it’s partly because I’ve already dipped into Caroline Criado Perez’s book “Invisible Women” which is much richer in terms of detailing gender bias, but also because I like a linear narrative. The last quarter of the book is given over to advice on how to frame a complaint as well as a variety of references and resources and I found myself wishing the whole book had been structured to split her story from the data and advice.
In January 2020 and the BBC had their backsides handed to them again in court when Samira Ahmed won a claim thought to be worth around £700k in back pay, whilst Sarah Montague announced she had already agreed a £400k settlement. A further monumental cock-up from Auntie saw an accidental disclosure of the names of 120 further claimants. It’s hard to imagine how they could have been more woeful.
As much as the free market ideologues have tired to make this purely about the BBC (and who have of course nothing to say about the wider issue of pay inequality), it’s worth noting that Asda, Tesco and the Co-Op are all in the midst of defending claims. Equal pay legislation was first given royal assent 50 years ago in May 1970, but the claims continue to average around 30,000 a year.
Gracie’s courage forced the BBC to confront their discrimination and opened the door for other women working there to seek redress. Sadly, the challenge for women elsewhere remains significant. A story worth reading.
February 29, 2020
“I found out about equal pay the hard way.”
*****/5
This is a true account of the BBC pay debate and honestly, it's terrifying and inspiring in equal terms. Carrie Gracie has written an accessible, informative and respectful narrative.
The BBC declared Carrie as “the ideal candidate” for the China Editor post and promised her equal pay as a condition of her contract. Imagine her horror, when the BBC was forced to disclose the pay of those over £150, 000 and Carrie was not among them. Her equal Jon Soper was though. On £230,000- £239,000 no less.
Reading this book was infuriating at times- hearing some of the things that were fed to Carrie as justification for her reduced pay. Phrases such as “growth and development” used as a weapon. I found myself cheering Carrie on to get the result she and her colleagues deserved.
This book should be read by everyone. It was so disheartening to see male colleagues offer Carrie platitudes, which is exactly what they were when they were followed by inaction. It has become obvious there are big problems in the BBC and Carrie has been a pioneer in exposing the equal pay debate whilst still working for the company. For that, I admire her.
Thanks to Netgalley, Virago and Carrie Gracie for my ARC in exchange for an honest review
Virago (2019) Non-Fiction/ Biography/ Memoir
*****/5
This is a true account of the BBC pay debate and honestly, it's terrifying and inspiring in equal terms. Carrie Gracie has written an accessible, informative and respectful narrative.
The BBC declared Carrie as “the ideal candidate” for the China Editor post and promised her equal pay as a condition of her contract. Imagine her horror, when the BBC was forced to disclose the pay of those over £150, 000 and Carrie was not among them. Her equal Jon Soper was though. On £230,000- £239,000 no less.
Reading this book was infuriating at times- hearing some of the things that were fed to Carrie as justification for her reduced pay. Phrases such as “growth and development” used as a weapon. I found myself cheering Carrie on to get the result she and her colleagues deserved.
This book should be read by everyone. It was so disheartening to see male colleagues offer Carrie platitudes, which is exactly what they were when they were followed by inaction. It has become obvious there are big problems in the BBC and Carrie has been a pioneer in exposing the equal pay debate whilst still working for the company. For that, I admire her.
Thanks to Netgalley, Virago and Carrie Gracie for my ARC in exchange for an honest review
Virago (2019) Non-Fiction/ Biography/ Memoir
April 28, 2023
Equal by Carrie Gracie is an insightful and personal memoir about gender inequality and the fight for equal pay. Gracie, a renowned journalist and former China editor for the BBC, took a courageous stand against the unequal pay structure in the BBC that led to a high-profile resignation and a public outcry.
In Equal, Gracie takes the reader through her journey, from her early years in rural Scotland to her successful career as a journalist. She candidly discusses the struggles she faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry, and the challenges of fighting against institutionalized sexism and discrimination.
Gracie's writing is clear, concise and engaging, and her insights into the media industry and the broader issue of gender inequality are compelling. She not only sheds light on her own experiences but also provides valuable data and research on the global issue of the gender pay gap.
Overall, Equal is a must-read for anyone interested in the fight for gender equality. While it may not offer any groundbreaking solutions, it serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for equal pay and the importance of speaking up against discrimination.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In Equal, Gracie takes the reader through her journey, from her early years in rural Scotland to her successful career as a journalist. She candidly discusses the struggles she faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry, and the challenges of fighting against institutionalized sexism and discrimination.
Gracie's writing is clear, concise and engaging, and her insights into the media industry and the broader issue of gender inequality are compelling. She not only sheds light on her own experiences but also provides valuable data and research on the global issue of the gender pay gap.
Overall, Equal is a must-read for anyone interested in the fight for gender equality. While it may not offer any groundbreaking solutions, it serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for equal pay and the importance of speaking up against discrimination.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2020
When asked what women could do to turn their right for equal pay into reality, Baroness Hale, President of the UK Supreme Court, said, "Women must bring cases."
Unjustly, current legislation leaves it up to women and those who are discriminated against to enforce the Equality Act of 2010 and bring employers to justice. Women must pay for this, emotionally, psychologically, domestically and of course, financially. Carrie Gracie served as the BBC’s China Editor until she discovered that a male in the same role (for a different region) was paid significantly more than her. This book details her yearlong fight for equality with the BBC; most people misunderstand the pernicious nature of misogyny, Gracie acknowledges that, “It’s not necessary to talk like a cartoon misogynist to practice pay discrimination.” More often than not, pay discrimination derives from unconscious biases which teach people to value men more and devalue women, people of colour, disabled people and other marginalised groups. Very few bosses gleefully rub their hands together and declare that they will pay this person less because of their gender, the colour of their skin, their religion etc. Gracie’s lawyer states, “it is rare for unequal pay to be deliberate, but if the end result is that a woman is paid less than a man for doing equal work, that is still unlawful.” The BBC repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the different rates of pay for Gracie and her comparator were not due to gender. Gracie wryly notes, “A BBC that admitted operating without clear rules on pay but was nonetheless quite sure the absence of rules had not resulted in abuses.” It was a struggle for Gracie, whose fight for equality took a toll on her physical and mental health, but she wanted to use her platform to advocate for equality for women everywhere, so I’m very glad she wrote a book about it. She also donated the proceeds of her ‘win’, i.e. backdated salary that she should have been paid, to a charity that advocates for women’s rights and aims to narrow the gender paygap.
An interesting and enlightening read for all, especially for those who have waged this familiar battle: employers everywhere, en garde.
Unjustly, current legislation leaves it up to women and those who are discriminated against to enforce the Equality Act of 2010 and bring employers to justice. Women must pay for this, emotionally, psychologically, domestically and of course, financially. Carrie Gracie served as the BBC’s China Editor until she discovered that a male in the same role (for a different region) was paid significantly more than her. This book details her yearlong fight for equality with the BBC; most people misunderstand the pernicious nature of misogyny, Gracie acknowledges that, “It’s not necessary to talk like a cartoon misogynist to practice pay discrimination.” More often than not, pay discrimination derives from unconscious biases which teach people to value men more and devalue women, people of colour, disabled people and other marginalised groups. Very few bosses gleefully rub their hands together and declare that they will pay this person less because of their gender, the colour of their skin, their religion etc. Gracie’s lawyer states, “it is rare for unequal pay to be deliberate, but if the end result is that a woman is paid less than a man for doing equal work, that is still unlawful.” The BBC repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the different rates of pay for Gracie and her comparator were not due to gender. Gracie wryly notes, “A BBC that admitted operating without clear rules on pay but was nonetheless quite sure the absence of rules had not resulted in abuses.” It was a struggle for Gracie, whose fight for equality took a toll on her physical and mental health, but she wanted to use her platform to advocate for equality for women everywhere, so I’m very glad she wrote a book about it. She also donated the proceeds of her ‘win’, i.e. backdated salary that she should have been paid, to a charity that advocates for women’s rights and aims to narrow the gender paygap.
An interesting and enlightening read for all, especially for those who have waged this familiar battle: employers everywhere, en garde.
May 18, 2020
A powerful and gripping book about a woman’s fight against an outdated, opaque, and unfair system that has been wilfully blind to discrimination. Too often we’ve seen women standing up for their rights being dismissed as “feminazis” or labelled as “ungrateful”, so I can only imagine the kind of pressure she was under and the amount of courage it took to stand her ground.
If you’re a woman experiencing similar struggles, this book gives you strength and teaches you about resilience. If you’re a man, read this book with compassion, support the women around you in their fight against unequal pay because it is no different from any other kind of injustice, and it could happen to your daughter / granddaughter / sister if nothing is done to resolve it now.
Unfortunately, some people threw the book away when they saw how much she was getting paid already, and concluded that this is just another white privileged woman whining about white men being paid more. This is far from what the book is really about.
If you’re a woman experiencing similar struggles, this book gives you strength and teaches you about resilience. If you’re a man, read this book with compassion, support the women around you in their fight against unequal pay because it is no different from any other kind of injustice, and it could happen to your daughter / granddaughter / sister if nothing is done to resolve it now.
Unfortunately, some people threw the book away when they saw how much she was getting paid already, and concluded that this is just another white privileged woman whining about white men being paid more. This is far from what the book is really about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2022
Having supportive men in the room would have been even more powerful. Men can neutralise an employer's defence of unequal pay. I know of one case at the BBC in which a woman was accompanied at an informal pay hearing by her male comparator who insisted their work was equal... Her pay was corrected quickly and painlessly.
I don't know why equal pay for equal work is such a hard concept for some people to grasp. In this book there's a throwaway line about Sandi Toksvig only being paid 40% of what Stephen Fry was paid to host QI. It's the same fucking job.
Anyway, despite the important (and infuriating) subject, I didn't always find this very engaging, hence only three stars.
November 17, 2020
Amazing story of a lady who challenged the biased system of the BBC, and how we can all act to help to close the gender pay gap. Would have given this book 5 stars from the beginning, and every chapter after was just as interesting.
October 21, 2022
Carrie Gracie shares her powerful story of a talented woman undermined by a discriminatory system that favours men far above their talented female colleagues. Carries well written account of her battle for equal (not more) pay is accompanied by useful advice and lessons from her experiences including the importance of getting male colleagues on board and (key for me) knowing when to draw the line.
October 8, 2020
Carrie Gracie is a hero. Grace, intelligence and an inner fire. This will inspire you to go out and chase your dreams while demanding fair pay and treatment from your employer. Definitely recommend.
January 4, 2021
Essential Reading. Feminism is everyone’s fight.
December 2, 2021
Well done Carrie...
February 11, 2025
This book actually did make me renegotiate terms at my workplace.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2021
Carrie Gracie is a pretty remarkable woman. By confronting the corporate machine that is the BBC, the purported bastion of British integrity and accountability, she simultaneously demonstrated those core BBC journalistic values while exposing her employer’s hole-digging hypocrisy. Carrie’s is an extremely powerful story, undoubtedly one that will echo around the future of this small island and the greater world, and is one that every person, regardless of their sex, gender, ethnicity, or physical condition, could and should take lessons from.
January 12, 2020
This is a fascinating book which is much more than just Carrie Gracie's story of her problems with the BBC. As the lauded China Editor Ms Grace spent years learning and developing to ensure we BBC viewers understood the power and politics of China. She then discovered that despite being lauded and respected, she was paid far less than her colleagues in similar jobs. Ms Gracie chose to resign as China Editor but remain with the BBC. A brave and conflicted decision which allowed her to fight from within. But this book is not just that story, her story. It is a history of women trying for equality. A sociological study of the factors that enable employers to continue to pay women less. And an excellent read.
The author states; "I am a BBC reporter. Holding the powerful to account is my job, along with telling stories that are true and important." She also believes that:- "...employers should welcome disagreements as a sign that employees care. They should create safe environments to explore different ideas and practise creative conflict." She did not set out to do anything other than help create that environment and is very clear that:- "It's important to keep things in proportion. You're fighting to win, not to destroy."
The book touches on many names we will recognise and some in whom we should be disappointed but also there are many - men and women - who stepped up and vocally supported the fight and in a week where Samira Ahmed won her discrimination case against the BBC, it is a vital book. We pay our licence fee and have a right to ensure the organisations we support treat all employees fairly. It is disappointing that this book had to be written in the 21st century but after reading it, it is not a surprise.
I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
The author states; "I am a BBC reporter. Holding the powerful to account is my job, along with telling stories that are true and important." She also believes that:- "...employers should welcome disagreements as a sign that employees care. They should create safe environments to explore different ideas and practise creative conflict." She did not set out to do anything other than help create that environment and is very clear that:- "It's important to keep things in proportion. You're fighting to win, not to destroy."
The book touches on many names we will recognise and some in whom we should be disappointed but also there are many - men and women - who stepped up and vocally supported the fight and in a week where Samira Ahmed won her discrimination case against the BBC, it is a vital book. We pay our licence fee and have a right to ensure the organisations we support treat all employees fairly. It is disappointing that this book had to be written in the 21st century but after reading it, it is not a surprise.
I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
March 9, 2021
This is an interesting book about Carrie Gracie's battle to get pay equality at the BBC. I'm a strong believer in equality, whether that be religious, ethnicity, gender, or whatever, everyone should be paid on the merit of their output, and not by any other criteria. At the end of the book, Carrie lists some useful tactics that can be implemented by both employers and employees, and these certainly do have value.
My problem with this kind of book, hence the 4 stars and not 5, is that the arguments need to be unbiased and reasonable. There were several places where inequality was cited, to which I disagree. One huge example was the usefulness of the regulation where employers have to publish the median gender pay gap across their workforce. As Carrie said, "Ryanair topped the table for airlines, with a median gender pay gap of 71.8 per cent." This is bound to happen - pilots are paid huge sums, and they tend to be male. Ryanair recruit from a talent pool, if there are fewer female pilots seeking work, there will be fewer women flying their planes, and therefore more women on the lower grade, lower paid, roles. Equality in that instance should mean the cabin crew, male or female, are paid the same, and pilots, whether male or female, are paid the same. There was no discussion in the book about whether those figures can be misleading or worthless - it was always a case of if the number show a disparity, then that must be bad for women.
However, a thought provoking book that needs to be read.
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
My problem with this kind of book, hence the 4 stars and not 5, is that the arguments need to be unbiased and reasonable. There were several places where inequality was cited, to which I disagree. One huge example was the usefulness of the regulation where employers have to publish the median gender pay gap across their workforce. As Carrie said, "Ryanair topped the table for airlines, with a median gender pay gap of 71.8 per cent." This is bound to happen - pilots are paid huge sums, and they tend to be male. Ryanair recruit from a talent pool, if there are fewer female pilots seeking work, there will be fewer women flying their planes, and therefore more women on the lower grade, lower paid, roles. Equality in that instance should mean the cabin crew, male or female, are paid the same, and pilots, whether male or female, are paid the same. There was no discussion in the book about whether those figures can be misleading or worthless - it was always a case of if the number show a disparity, then that must be bad for women.
However, a thought provoking book that needs to be read.
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
November 8, 2021
The book is mostly Carrie’s David and Goliath battle with the BBC, woven with some stark facts about the global problem of the gender pay gap.
It tries to offer advice to those experiencing similar inequalities at work, and highlights the importance of solidarity with both female and male colleagues.
I enjoyed the book but while I think Carrie Gracie had been brave for taking on the BBC… I can’t help but feel that she was lucky to have been a white woman of privilege to win such battle.
Her £130k salary as China Editor may not have been fair, but there are millions of other women in the workforce who earn so little and less than their male comparators without access to the same connections and without a chance to voice out their concerns. Carrie was in a position to get legal representation pro-bono, whilst others may not even speak out for the thought of whether the expenses will be worth it. I can’t help but think about them and who would help them.
Nonetheless I do commend Carrie (who donated her back pay to the Fawcett Society and YESS charity to help other women) and the rest of the BBC Women who came out to protest the gender pay gap, for bringing this issue to light. Even with the Equality Pay Act we are still miles behind what is universally deemed as fair. Deeds, not words.
It tries to offer advice to those experiencing similar inequalities at work, and highlights the importance of solidarity with both female and male colleagues.
I enjoyed the book but while I think Carrie Gracie had been brave for taking on the BBC… I can’t help but feel that she was lucky to have been a white woman of privilege to win such battle.
Her £130k salary as China Editor may not have been fair, but there are millions of other women in the workforce who earn so little and less than their male comparators without access to the same connections and without a chance to voice out their concerns. Carrie was in a position to get legal representation pro-bono, whilst others may not even speak out for the thought of whether the expenses will be worth it. I can’t help but think about them and who would help them.
Nonetheless I do commend Carrie (who donated her back pay to the Fawcett Society and YESS charity to help other women) and the rest of the BBC Women who came out to protest the gender pay gap, for bringing this issue to light. Even with the Equality Pay Act we are still miles behind what is universally deemed as fair. Deeds, not words.
December 5, 2019
Everyone should read this book. Gracie sets out her story of fighting the BBC for equal pay in conjunction with many pieces of advice for women who suspect they may be underpaid, men who want to ally and employers who wish to ensure their workplaces don't suffer from discrimination. She is eloquent, succinct, persuasive and funny in her exploration of the history of equal pay and how we can turn things around for half the workforce who potentially suffer from this problem. As someone still in the early stages of my career, it's given me the tools to be able to look out for signs of discrimination in the future, as well as the confidence to try and talk to my co-workers about their situation. Though I think the biggest takeaway is that men need to invest in equal pay too - if men are willing to stand beside their female counterparts, employers can't resist anywhere near as hard. Vital reading for everyone in today's society.
November 28, 2019
I just could not get behind this book. The moment the author mentioned her salary of approx 140k I already could not empathise with her. The author then mentions getting a pay rise of ~45K, and still demanding more. I found it odd that the author claimed she didn't want to take from the public purse, by demanding back pay, but did insist on more money. Nobody needs pay this high. Ideally, the male wage should have been reduced to the female average. But, having a pay over 6 times the national average made it hard to listen to her voice.
The book itself was a blow-by-blow account of her legal battle. It often felt repetitive, meandering and provided little in the way of education.
I left the book feeling that the author wasn't a feminist or an ally. But, once she found out her pay was low, she used equality as a self-serving banner.
The book itself was a blow-by-blow account of her legal battle. It often felt repetitive, meandering and provided little in the way of education.
I left the book feeling that the author wasn't a feminist or an ally. But, once she found out her pay was low, she used equality as a self-serving banner.
December 30, 2019
A really important read dealing with the author, Carrie Gracie's, personal battle with the equal pay problem at the BBC between men and women. I think what I learned will be more useful to me as I progress through my career, likely to be in academia.
December 31, 2019
Brilliant book!
December 22, 2019
A truly inspirational book. Carrie sets out what really should already be in place in the 21st century that men and women are paid equally doing the same job and why isn’t it happening already.
A truly fantastic book. A must read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review
A truly fantastic book. A must read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review
January 4, 2020
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****
Very interesting reading - particularly as someone inside the same organisation as Carrie. I appreciated her journalistic eye on the the issue and all the information and research that she has put into this. It's also incredibly readable.
Very interesting reading - particularly as someone inside the same organisation as Carrie. I appreciated her journalistic eye on the the issue and all the information and research that she has put into this. It's also incredibly readable.
September 18, 2019
Excellent read for women and men. Carrie Gracie mixes her own story with interesting and cogent facts. Thoroughly recommended.
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