The Casualty actor and occasional dancer Tom Chambers made an interesting intervention in the BBC salary debate this week after it was revealed that the BBC’s male talent was far better paid than the female talent. He told the Sun: “My wife works really hard as a stay-at-home mum, but I’m the only one bringing in a salary for our family. Many men’s salaries aren’t just for them, it’s for their wife and children, too.” Well, thanks for that, Tom, and welcome to the 1950s.
I suppose I should have some sympathy with old Tom because he’s another one of the posh privately educated boys who are so prevalent in our country. He probably thinks that every chap earns the same as he does and every chap’s wife is a hard-working “stay-at-home mum”. No doubt that stay-at-home mums work “really hard” but then again my own partner worked really hard not just as a working mum but also as a stay-at-home mum when she was also working for an employer. Dear old Tom hasn’t thought about people having to do that.
And, like most people I know, both my partner and I had to work as our children were growing up because unless you are rich, like, yes, Tom Chambers, or you choose to spend a life on benefits with a partner who you pretend doesn’t live with you, few of us have a choice. My salary alone would have meant that we never had children or my partner would have to work so as to enable us to give us the chance of a “normal” family life.
Tom said he was “completely mortified by the stories that have run today and didn’t mean to offend anyone by my comments which have been taken out of context from a conversation I had at a book launch.” So which bits were out of context? He didn’t mention that bit. It’s more like he thought, “Oh shit: I’ve said something bloody stupid here. I’d best apologise quickly and try and mitigate the damage.” Bit late for that, lad.
I suspect that Tom Chambers is not struggling to get by on the minimum wage, even though he is not on the list of BBC top earners. Lucky him that he is able to work in a job that means his wife doesn’t have to work and can concentrate on being a “stay-at-home mum”. I don’t begrudge him a penny of what he earns because I understand he is very good at what he does. Just don’t patronise us, okay? And don’t talk to the Sun. If the Sun had its way, neither Casualty or the BBC would exist and your missus wouldn’t be a stay-at-home mum.
