As seen in in the confidence she exudes on screen in roles like Katniss Everdeen from the “The Hunger Games” trilogy and Tiffany in “Silver Linings Playbook,” Jennifer Lawrence has a bold side that she is not afraid to let show. While she has already found supporters through her forthright honesty and relatability as well as performance skill, Lawrence’s new stance on Hollywood’s gender wage gap has brought her additional fame, putting her in the socioeconomic spotlight.

Following the Sony email leaks of 2014 that discussed the payment distributions among Hollywood stars, including those of 2013’s “American Hustle,” Jennifer Lawrence explained that she became starkly aware of the payment inequality between her and her male co-stars. Despite having done the same work as their male counterparts, Lawrence and other female stars receive inequitable compensation. In a recent essay published in Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner’s “Lenny” newsletter, Lawrence admitted that she chose not to negotiate for higher compensation rates due to the fear of appearing ungrateful for her position in the already affluent Hollywood world. She explained, “I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’”

Fearing societal judgment of character and relatability seems understandable considering Lawrence’s position as 2015’s highest paid actress according to Forbes and the growing socioeconomic gap in our world today. Looking at it from a feminist perspective, however, Lawrence and other women perceive this fight as more than just a personal economic issue and rather as another advance down the long road toward gender equality.

On average, women currently earn about 22 percent less than men. Opponents to gender wage equality argue the gap can be attributed to factors such as women choosing jobs with lower pay, not negotiating as frequently as male peers or prioritizing children over work. In Lawrence’s argument, however, this reasoning does not justify the resulting differences in compensation.

“I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It’s just heard,” Lawrence said in her Lenny essay. “I’m over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable!”

Despite her initial ambition to remain out of the limelight in terms of “trending issues” and maintain a sense of personal relatability, Lawrence has decided to step out and relate to her fans and peers in a new way. Though personal conditions may differ, Lawrence brings attention to a cause for that affects much of the world’s population and identifies that at the root of her personal issue is a deep-seated societal problem on which she could make some ripple of effect.

By fighting for greater Hollywood socioeconomic equality, Lawrence makes the list of notable women in Hollywood, including Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson, seeking to upend outdated establishments of gender inequality and the resulting economic disparities.

Male stars have not left the issue unacknowledged either. Bradley Cooper has recently announced that he will share with fellow co-stars how much he makes in each movie in order to bring hidden disparities to light. Josh Hutcherson has similarly applauded Lawrence for stepping into the spotlight about a societal issue so “embarrassing and shocking.”

While Forbes has noted Lawrence’s great increase in income over the last year, much of this increase has been attributed to Lawrence’s increased media publicity as a result of her progressive stance. Yet even with this affluence, one cannot help but think that Lawrence has the right motives in mind. With the upcoming release of the final chapter of the “Hunger Games” franchise on Nov. 20, it is almost as though Katniss has escaped the screen to volunteer as tribute once more, taking on the arena of a real-world society and its need for social change.