NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Jennifer Lawrence said more about equal pay on Tuesday than all five candidates taking part in the first Democratic Party presidential debate combined.

The Oscar-winning actress of Hunger Games and X-Men fame penned an essay for Lena Dunham's Lenny Letters taking direct aim at the gender pay gap in Hollywood and asking, "Why do I make less money than my male co-stars?"

Lawrence referenced the 2014 Sony Entertainment email hack, which revealed that she and another female actress, Amy Adams, earned less than their male counterparts in the 2013 film American Hustle, and what she calls her failure as a negotiator for pay. "Based on the statistics, I don't think I'm the only woman with this issue. Are we socially conditioned to behave this way?" she wrote.

Women earn an average 78 cents on the dollar compared to men, and the gender pay gap issue persists at all levels -- in the board room, the executive suite and even in Hollywood.

Rapper T.I. provided an example of the pervasiveness of gender biases among the rich and famous in an interview this week with radio DJ Whoo Kid reported by Entertainment Weekly -- specifically with regard to presidential politics.

"Not to be sexist but, I can't vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman," he said. "Just because every other position that exists, I think a woman could do well. But, the president? It's kinda like, I just know that women make rash decisions emotionally -- they make very permanent, cemented decisions -- and then later, it's kind of like it didn't happen, or they didn't mean for it to happen. And I sure would hate to just set off a nuke. [...] [Other leaders] will not be able to negotiate the right kinds of foreign policy; the world ain't ready yet. I think you might be able to get the Loch Ness Monster elected before [a woman.] It's not right, but I'm just saying."

He has since apologized for his statements on Twitter.

Unfortunately, gender wasn't much of the conversation on Tuesday's presidential debate, and only Clinton addressed the issue of the pay gap directly. "I believe in equal pay for equal women," she said in her opening statement, during which she also said "fathers will finally be able to say to their daughters, you, too, can grow up to be president."

"She's doing more certainly than she did in 2008, giving more attention to issues that directly affect women, which have been the core of her public persona since the start of her political career," said Chris Arterton, professor of political management and former dean at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.