Jane Martinson’s article (There is no quick fix to closing the BBC gender pay gap, 12 July) calls to mind Lord Sumption’s argument that pressing forward with gender equality in the judiciary would lead to a destruction of “the delicate balance of the legal system”. She says “simply handing over a chunk of change to a handful of women won’t necessarily change decades of entrenched behaviour”. Maybe. But it’s a pretty good place to start. Other jurisdictions, most notably Scandinavian countries, have managed to redress the gender equality imbalance seemingly effortlessly. Why do we keep thinking up imaginary insurmountable obstacles?
Kristiina Reed
Windsor, Berkshire
• Tony Hall (Huge progress at BBC says Hall, 12 July) states that the market for Gary Lineker is “absolutely real” because he can go somewhere else. That’s OK, let him go. I watch Match of the Day for the football. I would continue to watch it if he goes. I much preferred the previous presenter of MOTD2 but have continued to watch it since the change. There may be plenty of others who could do a more than adequate job for a lot less.
Matt Hughes
Bristol
• The head of the BBC says establishing equal pay for women doing work of equal value to those of their male colleagues will take time to enact. The Equal Pay Act came into force 48 years ago in 1970. Just how much time does the institution require?
Paul Beachcroft
Leigh, Greater Manchester
• My licence fee has risen from £147 to £150. Strangely, the official website, which breathlessly explains what good value it is, says nothing about the £58m paid to Capita to aggressively prosecute non-payers, of which one in three cases are thrown out. Of those left with a criminal record, 75% are women. In light of this, the fact that the BBC’s top 12 earners are still men, is tediously predictable.
Jane Purcell
London
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