CANNES - Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek, a vocal campaigner against sexual harassment in the movie industry, said on Monday male stars should get less pay as way to even things up with chronically underpaid women.

A day after joining dozens of other female movie makers, including Jane Fonda and Cate Blanchett, at a demonstration at the Cannes Film Festival in support of the struggle for women's rights, Hayek told a conference:

"The actors have to say: 'OK, time’s up. I had a good run but now it’s also time to be generous with the actresses in the films.'

"We all have to be part of the adjustment. That’s one idea. I’m going to be hated for it. I hope I can get a job after this!"

The issue of equality has been a running theme throughout the film festival which is the first to take place since sexual harassment allegations against some major Hollywood players surfaced last year.

The Cannes film festival signed a charter Monday vowing to push for parity between men and women by 2020.

The world's top festival also promised to be more transparent in its selection process after facing years of criticism over the lack of women directors in its main competition.

Hollywood stars including Kristen Stewart, Salma Hayek and Cate Blanchett - who heads the Cannes jury this year - led a protest of actresses, producers and women directors on the red carpet Saturday calling for equality in the industry.

Only 82 female directors have competed for the top Palme d'Or prize since 1946 compared with nearly 1,700 male directors.

And only one has won it - Jane Campion for "The Piano" in 1993.

This year only three out of the 21 directors in the running are women.

But Cannes director Thierry Fremaux and the heads of the parallel Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week sections promised Monday to make their selection committees transparent "to rule out any suspicion of a lack of diversity or parity" between the sexes.

They urged other international film festivals to follow suit. - Agencies