What’s in a name? For Ethnicity Pay Gap Day, Naghmeh Pour directs #NameTheBias, a call to action against systemic inequalities affecting ethnic minorities in the UK, unchanged since the 60s.
“My name might mean I’m paid less / But I know I’m worth more” — British-Bangladeshi lyricist, Yasmin Ali.
According to an Oxford University study, people with a “foreign sounding” name are 60% less likely to be hired in the UK. In addition, ethnic minority professionals report higher expectations of out-of-hours work compared to white employees. People Like Us is reaffirming its call to the UK government to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting with a clear implementation timeline. It also urges businesses on more equitable workplace practices by providing guidance from industry experts.
At the heart of the wider campaign is Naghmeh's film. It poses the question: do names really matter? A subversion of the Shakespearean verse, "What's In A Name?" with words by Yasmin Ali, we watch as a group of people stand in line at a bus stop, waiting for an opportunity which repeatedly passes them by. Sharing an aesthetic with Roy Andersson's "You The Living", the film highlights the absurdity of the pay gap with dark comedy, magic realism, and theatricality.
Watch the film here.
“Sometimes, a project hits so close to home that you can’t let it go. When Worth Your While and People Like Us approached me, I was deeply inspired by their passion and dedication to the cause. The issue at the heart of the film - inequality in pay and opportunities tied to ethnicity — is something I’ve experienced myself and witnessed other people experience too. This made the film deeply personal for me, and the journey of creating it was emotional. I'm so proud of this film, my hope is that, through the film and the campaign around it, we can spark hope and inspire real action from those in charge." — Naghmeh Pour
Following its launch, the campaign film has been featured in global creative publications, including Creative Review and Campaign.
