Gwyneth Paltrow says it ''feels s***ty' to earn less money than Robert Downey Jr.

The 'Iron Man' star, who was named the 12th highest paid actress by Forbes this year after raking in $9 million, thinks the wage gap between men and women in Hollywood is ''painful,'' and believes people would be shocked by the ''disparity'' between her salary and her co-star's for the Marvel films.

The Oscar winner said: ''Your salary is a way to quantify what you're worth. If men are being paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels s***ty.''

The blonde beauty, 43, isn't upset that her close pal Robert, 50, is the world's highest paid actor and earned an estimated $80 million this year, but thinks female stars deserve to receive more money.

She told Variety magazine: ''Look, nobody is worth the money that Robert Downey Jr. is worth. But if I told you the disparity, you would probably be surprised.''

Earlier this year, Gwyneth, who plays Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's assistant-turned love interest in the 'Iron Man' movies, admitted she was unsure of her future with the franchise.

She said: ''I'd like to do it [another film]. But they might swap me out for an 18-year-old Pepper Potts or something.''