Emmy Rossum Is Fighting For Equal Pay on Her Hit Show, "Shameless" (Report)

In recent years, women throughout the country have fought harder than ever to eliminate the wage gap. Beyoncé, for example, wrote an article for The Shriver Report in 2014 calling upon men to join the movement to fight the gender pay gap. The following year, Jennifer Lawrence exposed Hollywood's tradition of gender- based pay discrimination in an essay for Lena Dunham's newsletter, Lenny Letter. And countless other women, from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Walmart employee Betty Dukes, have used their personal experiences to tackle the issue of unequal pay head-on.

Now, Showtime star Emmy Rossum is fighting for equal pay on her megahit series, Shameless, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Unnamed sources have alleged Rossum is seeking a raise to match her net salary to that of her co-star, Emmy-nominated William H. Macy. Though the producers allegedly did offer Rossum pay parity, the 30-year-old actress is requesting her salary surpass Macy's going forward, to compensate for her lesser earnings throughout the first seven seasons of the show.

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Once you read that Emmy Rossum is fighting for equal pay, read about others doing the same :

1. Mila Kunis Just Spoke Out Against Sexism in the Workplace With a Powerful Personal Essay
2. Serena Williams' Open Letter on Gender Inequality
3. Pharrell Williams Says Everything You're Thinking About Gender Equality

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While the "Shameless" showrunners have yet to release a statement—nor has Showtime confirmed plans to continue with an eighth season, despite recently renewing Macy's contract-—THR reports all production has been suspended while the salary negotiations continue. If an agreement between producer WBTV and Rossum cannot be reached, THR reports, the showrunners may opt to move forward without her. However, seeing as Rossum is, for all intents and purposes the star of the show, whereas Macy has more of a supporting role as of late, it makes sense an agreement could be reached.

Of course we don't know for sure what's going on at Shameless, but it's safe to say there's still a gender-gap pay issue in the country. Almost 100 years ago, the first feminists embarked on a mission to eliminate the systemic oppression that, until recently, prevented women from enjoying the same rights and freedoms afforded to their male peers. On the whole, as we all know, they were successful; it is because of them that today, women can vote and work.

Progress, however, happens slowly, and some issues—such as equal pay—have yet to be resolved. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), the average woman in 2015 earned just 80 cents for every dollar earned by her male counterparts. In other words, the average woman earns just 80 percent of what her male peers earn, regardless of the position held, time spent at the job, or professional qualifications. That means, in the workplace women are literally valued less than men.

But with all these brave, badass celebrities speaking out, things might actually finally change once and for all.

Now, watch three people speak about defying gender norms: