Experienced reporter Carrie Gracie has called for immediate action after she quit her job as the BBC's China editor, citing an "illegal" pay disparity.
Ms Gracie following her resignation, citing pay "inequality" as the reason for her departure.
She said it was with "great regret" she had to quit her post, but cited a "crisis of trust at the BBC" as her reason for speaking out.
She claimed the audience had the right to know that the BBC was allegedly breaking equality law and "resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure," according to the letter published by Buzzfeed.
Ms Gracie said upon taking the China post, she insisted gender equality was part of the condition, but claimed she had long suspected she was routinely paid less.
"On learning the shocking scale of inequality last July, BBC women began to come together to tackle the culture of secrecy that helps perpetuate it," Ms Gracie, who has worked at the BBC for 30 years, wrote.
"In fact, the only BBC women who can be sure they do not suffer pay discrimination are senior managers whose salaries are published."
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Ms Gracie, who is fluent in Mandarin, had prior experience working in China before she took the BBC China editor post nearly four years ago.
She claimed she was offered a "big pay rise", but was only seeking equal pay between men and women in similar roles.
She said she would return to the TV newsroom "where I expect to be paid equally".
The BBC published salaries of some of its biggest stars in July, in which Ms Gracie claimed she learned that two men were earning at least "50 per cent more than the two women" in similar roles.
A BBC spokeswoman responded to the letter by saying there was "no systemic discrimination" against women at the organisation.
"A significant number of organisations have now published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing considerably better than many and are well below the national average," a statement read on the BBC.
"Alongside that, we have already conducted a independent judge led audit of pay for rank and file staff which showed 'no systemic discrimination against women'.
"A separate report for on air staff will be published in the not too distant future."
Social media users showed support for Ms Gracie, with many BBC journalists also tweeting their disappointment in losing such a talented journalist.
