Tia Mowry is influenced by her role as a mother to fight for pay equity.
During a virtual interview with AFROTECH™, the actress, mother of two, and founder of haircare line 4U by Tia was vulnerable about the challenges at hand as she navigated the entertainment industry, not only as a woman but a Black woman. By the numbers, disparities are prevalent. Forbes reports the highest paid actresses in 2018 made 24.8 cents for every dollar earned by male actors, and this equated to $186 million earned by the top 10 highest-paid female actors and $748.5 million compensated to the top 10 highest-paid male actors.
When considering the numbers for Black women actresses the numbers become acute as well. They earn 64 cents for every dollar made by a white actor, according to research conducted by the National Partnership for Women and Families.
For Mowry, the harsh reality of inequity cannot be overlooked, but she remains unwavering in her commitment to her craft and to championing change, hopeful the tides will turn.
“My journey when it comes to this narrative has not always been a good one,” she said. “I feel like it’s almost like it’s a double whammy. Being a woman in general, it always feels as if I’m swimming upstream. And then the double whammy is being a Black woman in this industry.”
She continued, “I am the type of person that I will never victimize myself, meaning I will realize that this is an issue, but I will not sit and wallow in it. I will always try to find opportunity and work towards. And I guess what I’m saying is I will focus on working hard. I will focus on being the best that I can be. I will focus on continuing to grow and continuing to evolve as just a human being in general and speak my mind and bring awareness and hope for the better.”
Mowry also credits her role as a mother to her 6-year-old daughter, Cairo, as a powerful motivator for challenging perceptions of her value, grounded in a deep, unapologetic understanding of her self worth. She wants to be an example.
“I believe that that improvement starts with you understanding and valuing your self worth, meaning speaking up for yourself, believing in yourself because it starts with you first,” she told AFROTECH™. “Because if you don’t believe in yourself and if you don’t value yourself, how can you present yourself in a manner that inquires or encourages change? So, I think as the years have evolved and I’ve grown as an entertainer in this, it is a struggle, especially when you see your counterparts be treated completely differently.”
She added, “The challenge that I’m having now is just fighting for that. I definitely have that self worth and that self value and I am unapologetic when it comes to that. Mainly too because I have a daughter that is watching every move that I make. And if I can be an example for her, because that’s the best way, I think, personally, children learn through observation. That’s the best thing that you can do for your child is to be that example, and I know that my daughter is — she’s an extension of me. My son is a part of me, but my daughter is an extension of me. She gives me motivation, and just other women really give me motivation.”
