Examine individual changes

'{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Hatnote|This page specifically shows/ discusses the gender pay gap in sports. For other disparities, see [[Gender pay gap]].}} [[File:Murray and Williams Wimbledon 2019.jpg|thumb|Murray and Williams Wimbledon 2019]] '''[[Gender pay gap]] in sports''' looks into the persistence of unequal pay in sports, particularly for female athletes who do not receive equal revenue compared to their counterparts, which differs depending on the sport.<ref>https://www.salary.com/articles/examining-the-gender-pay-gap-in-sports/</ref> According to the research conducted by [[BBC]], "a total of 83% of sports now reward men and women equally".<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 June 2017|title=Women's Sport Week 2017: Gender prize money gap narrowing, new study shows|language=en-GB|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/40299469|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> However, it does not mean that the wage gap in sports has narrowed or disappeared. In 2018, [[Forbes]] released the list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes, and they are all male athletes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The World's Highest Paid Athletes 2018|url=https://www.forbes.com/athletes/|access-date=9 May 2019|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> A similar situation also occurred in 2017, where there was only one female athlete – tennis player [[Serena Williams]] — who joined the list and ranked No.56. [[Billie Jean King]] brought awareness to the issue of unequal pay in the early 1970s, when she was awarded $2,900 less than her male counterpart at the [[Italian Open (tennis)|Italian Open]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 April 2016|title=Equal pay for equal play. What the sport of tennis got right|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/equal-pay-for-equal-play-what-the-sport-of-tennis-got-right|access-date=2 March 2021|website=PBS NewsHour|language=en-us}}</ref> The [[Timeline of the gender pay gap in sports|timeline]] of the gender pay gap in sports displays the significant events that have occurred since the 1970s. [[File:Serena Williams Australian Open 2015.jpg|thumb|Serena Williams, the highest-paid female athlete in 2017.]] ==Factors== Except for prize money, there are other factors that affect female athletes' income, which include both internal and external factors ===Endorsement deals=== Male sports attract far more viewership and are in far higher demand than women's sports. The majority of sports are also dominated by males, and this is due to several factors. The first factor is the fewer chances for female athletes to negotiate with endorsement deals. Assuming a male and female athlete receives equal prize money, generally speaking, the top male athletes earn more due to better [[sponsorship]] and endorsement deals.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-41685042|title=Is the gender pay gap in sport closing?|last=Perasso|first=Valeria|date=23 October 2017|access-date=9 May 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref> Research conducted by a United Kingdom's organization shows that sponsors are more attracted by male athletes as male athletes tend to be more marketable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.playthegame.org/news/news-articles/2011/sports-sponsors-overwhelmingly-favour-men-over-women/|title=Sports sponsors overwhelmingly favour men over women|website=www.playthegame.org|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> A study has found that female athletes are rarely employed as the spokesperson by companies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.futurity.org/few-female-athletes-get-endorsement-deals/|title=Few female athletes get endorsement deals|date=28 August 2012|website=Futurity|language=en-US|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> Between 2011 and 2013, another study found female sports to account for 0.4% of total sports sponsorships.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kidd|first=Robert|title=Why Women's Sports Sponsorship Is An Opportunity Brands Are Missing|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertkidd/2018/11/02/why-womens-sports-sponsorship-is-an-opportunity-brands-are-missing/|access-date=23 February 2021|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> The imbalance of endorsement deals expands the income gap between male and female athletes. Comparison of [[Roger Federer]]'s income with Serena Williams' income based on their prize money shows that Williams earned $2 million more than Federer. However, Federer is the most lucrative athlete endorsement and makes $58&nbsp;million, which is five times more than Serena Williams.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/593547bb4bbe6f1b730b2087/2017-athletes-top-25/|title=1. Cristiano Ronaldo|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> ===Media coverage=== [[File:Media coverage of athletes.png|thumb|Media coverage of male and female athletes in Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States. Source based on research conducted by experts.]] [[Media coverage]] takes forms such as [[News report]]s, television (TV) programs, and social media articles. Media coverage does not only enhance the popularity of athletes but also reveals the commercial nature of sports.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mumbrella.com.au/womens-sport-if-we-build-it-they-will-come-568804|title=Women's sport: If we build it, they will come|last1=Perry|first1=Monique|last2=Ramiscal|first2=Kayla|date=8 March 2019|website=Mumbrella|language=en-US|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> Male's sports have higher production values and are going to seem more exciting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/women-and-sports-world-cup-soccer/395231/|title=Why Aren't Women's Sports as Big as Men's?|last=Bodenner|first=Chris|date=9 June 2015|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> [[Novak Djokovic]], the former world No.1 in men's single tennis said that male players deserve to be paid more than female players because "statistics are showing that we have much more spectators on the men's tennis matches", which means male athletes have gained more interests and attention.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/mar/21/novak-djokovic-indian-wells-equal-prize-money-tennis|title=Novak Djokovic: men's tennis should fight for more prize money than women|last=Association|first=Press|date=21 March 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=15 May 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The economic logic is, the [[viewership]] determines the commercial value of a sport, as the media producers hope to attract more audiences to make profits. This factor may affect the media coverage of female athletes. Despite greatly increased participation of women in sports, over the years media coverage of female athletes has remained unchanged.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Romney|first1=Miles|last2=Johnson|first2=Rich G.|date=8 April 2019|title=The Ball Game Is for the Boys: The Visual Framing of Female Athletes on National Sports Networks' Instagram Accounts|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2167479519836731|journal=Communication & Sport|volume=8|issue=6|pages=738–756|doi=10.1177/2167479519836731|s2cid=151202703|issn=2167-4795}}</ref> It has been argued that visibility of women's sports in media is necessary for its advancement and is a determining factor in closing the gender pay gap. Broadcasting deals and television exposure play an important role in the ability for athletes to gain [[sponsor (commercial)|sponsor]]s and endorsements. With increased TV marketing comes larger and more profitable sponsors, this gain of profit in an industry will eventually lead to an increase in wages of sportswomen.<ref>{{Cite web|title=To what extent is there a gender pay gap in sport?|url=https://www.withersworldwide.com/en-gb/insight/to-what-extent-is-there-a-gender-pay-gap-in-sport|access-date=23 February 2021|website=www.withersworldwide.com|language=en}}</ref> While coverage of female athletes is lacking in traditional and online media outlets, personal social media accounts offer sportswomen new means to gain exposure, promote themselves, develop a [[fan base]] and reconstruct traditional [[gender stereotypes]] in sport.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Toffoletti|first1=Kim|last2=Thorpe|first2=Holly|date=8 February 2018|title=Female athletes' self-representation on social media: A feminist analysis of neoliberal marketing strategies in "economies of visibility"|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959353517726705|journal=Feminism & Psychology|volume=28|pages=11–31|language=en|doi=10.1177/0959353517726705|s2cid=148928416}}</ref> Whereas a study examined 1,587 images on the [[Instagram]] accounts of four major American sports networks and found women in gender "appropriate" sports were more likely to be featured along with those appearing nonathletic and next to a male.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Romney|first1=Miles|last2=Johnson|first2=Rich G.|date=8 April 2019|title=The Ball Game Is for the Boys: The Visual Framing of Female Athletes on National Sports Networks' Instagram Accounts|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2167479519836731?icid=int.sj-abstract.similar-articles.2|journal=Communication & Sport|volume=8|issue=6|pages=738–756|language=en|doi=10.1177/2167479519836731|s2cid=151202703}}</ref> In Australia, female's sports make up 7% of all sports media coverage, the same as the United Kingdom. Similarly, in the United States, nearly 40% of athletes are female, but they own 4% of media coverage.<ref>{{Citation|last=TuckerCenter|title=Media Coverage and Female Athletes – Full Documentary|date=29 July 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVqHsMP-GTM&t=807s|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> In a 2015 study, Billings and Young compared coverage of women's sports on [[ESPN]]'s ''[[SportsCenter|Sports Center]]'' and [[Fox Sports]] 1's ''[[Fox Sports Live]]'', in which both TV programs were found to cover women's sports less than 1% of the time.<ref>{{Citation|title=10. "It's Dude Time!" A Quarter Century of Excluding Women's Sports in Televised News and Highlight Shows|date=31 December 2019|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.36019/9780813592084-011|work=No Slam Dunk|pages=209–234|publisher=Rutgers University Press|doi=10.36019/9780813592084-011|isbn=978-0-8135-9208-4|access-date=22 February 2021|last1=Cooky|first1=Cheryl|last2=Messner|first2=Michael A.|last3=Musto|first3=Michela|s2cid=243451163}}</ref> In the [[Nordic welfare state]]s women obtain 10% of routine newspaper or TV sports coverage.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Hovden|first1=Jorid|title=The gendering of media sport in the Nordic countries|date=21 May 2020|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003009047-8|work=Sport, Outdoor Life and the Nordic World|pages=111–124|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-003-00904-7|access-date=22 February 2021|last2=von der Lippe|first2=Gerd|doi=10.4324/9781003009047-8|s2cid=241324285}}</ref> A 2015 analysis of International sports news websites found the three websites covering the most female athletics dedicated 7% of coverage.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Coche|first=Roxane|date=16 September 2015|title=The Amount of Women's Sports Coverage on International Sports News Websites' Home Pages|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1931243115604882|journal=Electronic News|volume=9|issue=4|pages=223–241|doi=10.1177/1931243115604882|s2cid=62064896|issn=1931-2431}}</ref> Except for the quantity, the quality of media coverage also matters. The media portrayal of female athletes tends to be less professional, and sometimes involve entertaining or [[sexualised]] contents instead of portraying their athletic abilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aimeelamoureux.wordpress.com/|title=How the Media Portrays Female Athletes|website=How the Media Portrays Female Athletes|language=en|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> A study found that this type of sexist language was used in women's sports coverage in regard to athletes and teams from 1989 to 2000. Whereas in 2014 language shifted and became "gender bland", framing women's sports performances and achievements in uninteresting ways in comparison to men.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last1=Musto|first1=Michela|last2=Cooky|first2=Cheryl|last3=Messner|first3=Michael A.|date=13 September 2017|title="From Fizzle to Sizzle!" Televised Sports News and the Production of Gender-Bland Sexism|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0891243217726056|journal=Gender & Society|volume=31|issue=5|pages=573–596|doi=10.1177/0891243217726056|s2cid=53003243|issn=0891-2432}}</ref> Televised sports media jobs are also dominated and controlled by a majority of men and 90% of sports editors and 95% of sports news anchors and co-anchors were found to be male in a 2017 analysis of televised coverage of women's sports.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal|last1=Musto|first1=Michela|last2=Cooky|first2=Cheryl|last3=Messner|first3=Michael A.|date=13 September 2017|title="From Fizzle to Sizzle!" Televised Sports News and the Production of Gender-Bland Sexism|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0891243217726056|journal=Gender & Society|volume=31|issue=5|pages=573–596|doi=10.1177/0891243217726056|s2cid=53003243|issn=0891-2432}}</ref> In the United States, viewership for the [[2019 FIFA Women's World Cup|2019 Women's World Cup Final]] in France was 22% higher than the viewership of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018 Men’s World Cup Final]] in Russia. Roughly 14.3 Million people in the United States watched the Women's final while only 11.4 million watched the 2018 men's final. The [[2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final|2015 Women’s World Cup Final]] peaked at 25.4 million viewers, even higher than the 2019 Final. The reason for the lack of viewership in the 2019 final compared to the 2015 final was due to scheduling conflicts on the day of the 2019 final. At the same time that the women's final was taking place, the [[2019 Copa América Final|Men’s Copa América final]] and [[2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final|Men’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final]] were happening all on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hess|first=Abigail Johnson|date=2019-07-10|title=US viewership of the 2019 Women's World Cup final was 22% higher than the 2018 men's final|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/10/us-viewership-of-the-womens-world-cup-final-was-higher-than-the-mens.html|access-date=2021-12-10|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref> ===Economic return=== Economic elements also affect the [[pay equity]] within sports. In 2018, the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] team attracted 7,716 fans per game, which is more than 10,000 fans below the audience attracted by [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] teams per game.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www-staging.forbes.com/sites/davidberri/2017/09/20/there-is-a-growing-gender-wage-gap-in-professional-basketball/|title=Basketball's Growing Gender Wage Gap: The Evidence The WNBA Is Underpaying Players|last=Berri|first=David|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> Female teams attracted fewer fans compares to male teams, indicates female teams sold less ticket and hence generated less revenue. The highest-paid female wrestler [[Ronda Rousey]] says she thinks how much female athletes get paid should relate to how much revenue they bring in.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/mma/ronda-rousey-womens-pay-sports-australia/|title=Ronda Rousey Explains Why She Deserves To Make More Money Than Male Fighters|date=19 October 2015|website=UPROXX|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> The different [[marketability]] of athletes affects the corresponding earnings of male and female athletes. The economic benefits will occur as long as female athletes generate outstanding revenue as their male counterparts do.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/rita-panahi/gender-wage-gap-in-sport-makes-perfect-sense/news-story/e1a8b39057097e3c4241b4cf6aae0b66|title='Gender wage gap' in sport makes perfect sense|date=16 April 2019|website=Herald Sun|language=en|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> However, the pay gap between men and women players is extreme and far outstrips these differences in revenue. Again comparing the NBA and WNBA: in 2019, the average NBA player earned $8,321,937, while a WNBA player earned $75,181. Golf also presents a massive pay gap between men and women athletes, with a PGA player earning around $1,235,495 and an LPGA player earning $48,993 on average. The soccer pay gap between MLS and NWSL is over $300,000, with men earning around $410,730 and women earning an average of $35,000. The MLB and NPF difference in pay is over $4,000,000, with women averaging around $6,000 a year in 2019. The difference in pay between ATP and WTA turns out to be around $50,000 a year as well.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-20|title=Male vs Female Professional Sports Salary Comparison|url=https://online.adelphi.edu/articles/male-female-sports-salary/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=Adelphi University Online|language=en}}</ref> Furthermore, the women players' earnings as a proportion of WNBA profits has changed over time. In the 1954–55 season, players grossed a total of 45% of the WNBA operating income.<ref>{{Cite web|title=https://primo.lib.umn.edu/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_cdi_proquest_newspapers_2454418628&context=PC&vid=MORRIS&lang=en_US&search_scope=Primocentral&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=primocentral&query=any,contains,%22What%27s%20Behind%20the%20Gender%20Pay%20Gap%20in%20Sports?%20Is%20it%20sex%20discrimination%20or%20the%20free%20market?%20Three%20experts%20debate%20the%20issue.&mode=Basic|url=https://primo.lib.umn.edu/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_cdi_proquest_newspapers_2454418628&context=PC&vid=MORRIS&lang=en_US&search_scope=Primocentral&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=primocentral&query=any,contains,%22What%27s%20Behind%20the%20Gender%20Pay%20Gap%20in%20Sports?%20Is%20it%20sex%20discrimination%20or%20the%20free%20market?%20Three%20experts%20debate%20the%20issue.&mode=Basic|access-date=2021-12-10|website=primo.lib.umn.edu|language=en}}</ref> This eventually grew even higher, almost to 60%, but recently the WNBA players have been earning only 21% of the league's revenue. ===Others=== There are other factors which also affect the earning of female athletes – for example, the lack of women holding governing positions in the sports organization. In Europe sports foundations, there are 14% of all decision-making positions which are occupied by women.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/policy-areas/sport|title=Sport|website=European Institute for Gender Equality|language=en|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> [[Motherhood]] also reduces the earning of female athletes as they miss many chances of attending tournaments due to their physical condition. After the labor, it still takes time to train and rebuild the body shape.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/women-in-sport-when-pregnancy-spells-the-end-of-a-career-20150629-gi0iiq.html|title=Women in sport: when pregnancy spells the end of a career|last=Pearce|first=Linda|date=6 July 2015|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> Pregnancy brings a commercial difference, and this mainly reflects through endorsement deals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/02/26/news/companies/female-athletes-pregnancy/index.html|title=What pregnancy means for top female athletes and endorsements|last=Draznin|first=Haley|date=26 February 2018|website=CNNMoney|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> Professional beach volleyball player [[Kerri Walsh]] once said that she was told to hold off on starting a new family by sponsors. The professional snowboarder Kimmy Fasani also faced the fear of losing her endorsement deals when she found out she is pregnant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kq2.com/templates/AMP?contentID=475182143|title=What pregnancy means for top female athletes and endorsements|website=www.kq2.com|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> Advancements are being made to reduce the impact of motherhood on wages of female athletes. In 2020, a new collective bargaining agreement of the WNBA included an improved maternity leave policy allowing players to receive a full salary during their [[parental leave]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Collective Bargaining Agreement 2020 – WNBPA|url=https://wnbpa.com/cba/|access-date=23 February 2021|website=wnbpa.com}}</ref> The WNBA and NBA is one of the most prominent examples of the pay gap. In 2018, [[A'ja Wilson|Aja Wilson]] was drafted the number one pick and earned a salary of $52,564. [[Deandre Ayton]], was drafted the number one pick in the NBA and earned a salary of $5,091,500. The average max [[salary cap]] for a player in the WNBA is roughly about $117,500. For an NBA player it's about 300 times more than that. For example, Steph Curry sits at $40.2&nbsp;million. Though the pay gap seen between the top ranking players in professional sports reveals to be alarming, wage discrepancies between lower ranked players proves to be equally as concerning. In 2015, the twenty-fifth ranked soccer player from the [[United States women's national soccer team|US Women's National Soccer team]] (USWNT) was compensated $341,721, while the twenty-fifth ranked player from the [[United States men's national soccer team|US Men's National Soccer team]] (USMNT) received $580,522. A similar trend can be seen in looking at the fiftieth ranked soccer players, where the female player received $25,516 while the male player received $246,238.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?EbscoContent=dGJyMNHX8kSeqK44xNvgOLCmsEmep7dSsK%2B4TbaWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGut1CzrbNNuePfgeyx9Yvf5ucA&T=P&P=AN&S=R&D=ofm&K=124000467|title=Superior Play, Unequal Pay: U.S. Women's Soccer and the Pursuit for Pay Equity|access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref> The [[USWNT]] is an exemplary organization that advocates for equal pay for the players. After these women won the [[2015 FIFA Women's World Cup|World Cup]] in 2015, and broke records, many players decided together to battle against The United States Soccer Federation.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Zerunyan|first=Nicole|date=2018|title=Time's Up: Addressing Gender-Based Wage Discrimination in Professional Sports|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0731126500014608|journal=International Journal of Legal Information|volume=11|issue=1–2|pages=23|doi=10.1017/s0731126500014608|issn=0731-1265}}</ref> In 2014, the men’s winner of the World Cup received 35 million dollars and the following year the [[USWNT]] won the World Cup and only received 2 million dollars.<ref name=":4" /> Moreover in 2014, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team [[USMNT]] placed 11th and received nearly 10 million dollars.<ref name=":4" /> WNBA's low ticket sales and low salary may be due to marketing, as more resources are devoted to the NBA than the WNBA. Top NBA players are encouraged to appeal to female viewers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.swishappeal.com/wnba/2019/2/27/18239591/nba-wnba-marketing|title=NBA's marketing game plan is light years ahead of the WNBA's|last=Regehr|first=Carly|date=27 February 2019|website=Swish Appeal|language=en|access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> In 2019, the WNBA signed a deal with CBS to broadcast 40 games a year. ESPN will also broadcast an additional 16 games on their network. NBATV will also broadcast more games as well. == Impacts == Gender pay gap in sports links to the broader world and causes wider imbalance. In the financial point of view, this issue may cause the loss of financial revenue, as the pay gap in sports may lead to the less incentive of the female athletes to push themselves and to actively participate in sports because they feel unsupported.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/publications/tyl/topics/sports-and-entertainment-law/why-should-we-care-about-the-gender-pay-gap-in-professional-sports/|title=Why Should We Care about the Gender Pay Gap in Professional Sports?|website=www.americanbar.org|language=en|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> Except for [[Professional sports|professional athletes]], other female participation in sports may also be affected. Ruth Holdaway, the chief executive officer at advocacy group Women in Sport, says if the public aims to close the pay gap in the long term, the public should be working with young girls to let them understand that sports are worth participating. Closing the pay gap in sports helps to create an environment where all female participation can enjoy equal rights as males.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jul/16/sexism-sport-industry-gender-equality-business|title=Fair play: business can help kick sexism out of sport|last=Qvist|first=Bella|date=16 July 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=9 May 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> ==Public response== ===Female athletes' actions=== Some professional female athletes have taken steps forward to oppose the pay gap. The women's US soccer team has been especially vocal on this topic. The women's team's past includes placing in the top three for the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] for three decades yet the players don't believe that their pay reflects their success.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2 April 2019|title=The Fight for Equal Pay in Women's Sports|url=https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/education/fight-equal-pay-womens-sports/|access-date=1 December 2020|website=Women's Sports Foundation|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2019 a player on the US men's soccer team would be paid $1.1&nbsp;million if they won the World Cup. In the same year, a player on the US women's team would be paid $261,000 for a 1st place victory.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Murray|first=Caitlin|date=24 July 2019|title=Does revenue explain the USWNT's World Cup bonus shortfall?|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/24/usa-women-soccer-equal-pay-bonus-questions|access-date=8 December 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> When a team qualifies for the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]], there are built in bonuses when the team places in the top three. If the men's team were to place first, each player would receive a bonus of around half a million dollars. Comparing this to the women teams, a first place win would guarantee each player a bonus of under $100,000.<ref name=":1" /> After years began to go by with no changes made to equalize pay, the entire USWNT filed a [[gender discrimination]] lawsuit against [[United States Soccer Federation|US soccer]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=USWNT could settle to take care of itself. It's fighting for something bigger. – The Washington Post|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/05/11/uswnt-could-settle-take-care-itself-its-fighting-something-bigger/|access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref> The specific accusations included unequal pay, medical treatment, transportation, and poor working conditions.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, the USWNT aimed to establish a violation of the EPA through proving that different wages were paid for equal work; proving this does not require showing that the employees’ work is identical, rather just that the work requires substantially equal skill, effort, and responsibility. "Skill" is measured in terms of performance requirements such as experience, education, training, and ability. "Effort" is measured in terms of the amount of mental and physical exertion needed to perform, as well as looking at the total requirements of the job. "Responsibility" is concerned with the job obligations and the degree of accountability required in the athlete's performance. Though skill levels may vary among women and men athletes across sports and effort may be exerted in different ways among players, it is highly likely to be found that male and female athletes exhibit equal amounts of skill, effort, and responsibility required of employees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?EbscoContent=dGJyMNHX8kSeqK44xNvgOLCmsEmep7dSsK%2B4TbaWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGut1CzrbNNuePfgeyx9Yvf5ucA&T=P&P=AN&S=R&D=ofm&K=124000467|title=Superior Play, Unequal Pay: U.S. Women's Soccer and the Pursuit for Pay Equity|access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref> Their efforts ultimately made minimal advances, but the team still remains and continues to be an active part in the gender equality movement. With the public support that the USWNT has gained from their lawsuit for equal pay, new courses of action are being discussed to provide these women athletes with an available remedy. Above all, these efforts will be highly influential in the way other professional female athletes negotiate their salaries and [[Collective bargaining agreements]] (CBAs) to further advance pay equality going forward.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?EbscoContent=dGJyMNHX8kSeqK44xNvgOLCmsEmep7dSsK%2B4TbaWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGut1CzrbNNuePfgeyx9Yvf5ucA&T=P&P=AN&S=R&D=ofm&K=124000467|title=Superior Play, Unequal Pay: U.S. Women's Soccer and the Pursuit for Pay Equity|access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref> Although the USWNT is a leader in this movement, one of the most noteworthy cases happens in tennis. In 2006, American tennis player Venus Williams wrote an open letter to the ''London Times'' after she won the championship of [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] but received lower prize money compared with her male counterpart. In that letter, Williams questioned that the disparity in prize money disregards female's hard work and Wimbledon conveys a faulty value. [[Tony Blair]], the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at that time, started to focus on the issue of the pay disparity in sports.<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 October 2017|title=How 4 pro athletes are helping to close the pay gap|url=https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/what-we-can-learn-from-professional-athletes-about-closing-the-pay-gap/|access-date=1 December 2020|website=Workopolis Blog|language=en}}</ref> In the followed year, Wimbledon adjusted the prize money structure and offered an equal amount of prize money to male and female athletes. Williams' letter drew the attention of the public and was later featured in a [[Nine for IX|special series for ESPN]], celebrating the 40th anniversary of the passing of the [[Title IX]] amendment, ensuring gender equality in any college program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. ===Introducing regulations and eligibility === Introducing official regulations also plays an essential role in closing the pay gap in sports. The Male Champions of Change (MCC) is an Australian institute which redefines men's role in "taking action on gender inequality and encourage men of power and influence to contribute to gender equality issues in the communities".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://malechampionsofchange.com/about-us/|title=About the Male Champions of Change|website=Male Champions of Change|language=en-US|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> In 2019, MCC released the report of ''Pathway to Pay Equality,'' which aims to create new systems and cultures which can breed pay equity across all elite sports.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pathway to Pay Equality 2019|publisher=Male Champions of Change Sport|year=2019}}</ref> The report details the specific actions and supports need to be taken to close the gender pay gap in sports. ''Pathway to Pay Equality'' assembles 17 Australian sporting chief executives as the signatories, to ensure female athletes have the same rights and opportunities in sports by evaluating and reporting their performance annually. The report introduced by MCC is considered to be the first time that the sports organizations have united globally to address the issue of unequal pay in sports, this can be a role model for other countries and institutes to emulate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-18/sports-team-up-to-close-the-gender-pay-gap/10821018|title=Sports teaming up to close the gender pay gap|date=18 February 2019|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> The eligibility requirements of the [[NBA]] versus the [[WNBA]] differ in such a way to allow male athletes to start their professional careers earlier.<ref name=":3" /> The [[NBA]] requires incoming athletes to be only one year removed from high school, whereas the [[WNBA]] requires incoming athletes to be 4 years removed from high school.<ref name=":3" /> Although the [[NBA]] oversees and runs both the [[NBA]] and [[WNBA]], the eligibility requirements are in favor of male sports and therefore allow male athletes to begin their careers sooner than females.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Duru|first=N.|date=2015-01-01|title=Hoop Dreams Deferred: The WNBA, the NBA, and the Long-Standing Gender Inequity at the Game's Highest Level|url=https://dc.law.utah.edu/ulr/vol2015/iss3/1|journal=Utah Law Review|volume=2015|issue=3|issn=0042-1448}}</ref> ==Statistics== Some popular and widespread sports still retain a significant pay gap. The following statistics show the income disparities between female athletes and their male counterparts. [[File:The income of the top 10 highest-paid female and male athletes based on the statistics released by Forbes in 2017.png|thumb|The income of the top 10 highest-paid female and male athletes based on the statistics released by Forbes in 2017.]] '''Soccer''' In soccer, the United States women's national football team is paid almost four times less than the men's team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/28/soccers-ridiculous-gender-wage-gap-infographic/|title=Soccer's Ridiculous Gender Wage Gap [Infographic]|last=McCarthy|first=Niall|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> The women's team won the 2014 World Cup tournament but was paid $7&nbsp;million prize money less than their male counterparts who failed in Round 16. In 2016, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, American football player Hope Amelia Solo files lawsuit against the U.S Soccer Federation for disregarding pay equity with her teammates. '''Basketball''' The pay gap in basketball also exists. In 2014, 5 teams of the Women's National Basketball Association ([[WNBA]]) out of overall 12 made a profit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rampages.us/nyra34/how-to-fix-the-gender-wage-gap-in-sports/|title=How to fix the gender wage gap in sports {{!}} nyra's focused inquiry II site|website=rampages.us|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> The WNBA player who received the highest income is nearly one-fifth of the income of the lowest-paid NBA player.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbrennan/2016/05/05/the-pay-discrimination-in-sports-we-wish-didnt-exist-will-only-dissipate-with-womens-leadership/|title=Which Sports Have The Largest And Smallest Pay Gaps?|last=Brennan|first=Andrew|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> In 2018, the WNBA paid its players much less of their revenue, less than 25%, than the NBA does, about 50%. If the WNBA revenues were shared with its players as the NBA revenues are, their average salary would rise from $77,878 to around $191,083 in the 2018 season.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Berri|first=David|title=WNBA Players Are Simply Asking For A Greater Share Of WNBA Revenues|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidberri/2018/09/04/what-wnba-players-want/|access-date=23 February 2021|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> In 2020 a new WNBA collective bargaining agreement was put in place and will go until 2027. Players in the WNBA will on average earn a salary of $130,000, with minimum and maximum salaries of $68,000 and $215,000 respectively; with the possibility for top athletes to earn over $500,000 annually. The WNBA league will spend up to $250,000 a player and at least $1&nbsp;million in promoting and marketing of players annually. Significant change in the revenue sharing could allow players in the WNBA to earn 50% of their revenues as of the 2021 season.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web|title=Collective Bargaining Agreement 2020 – WNBPA|url=https://wnbpa.com/cba/|access-date=23 February 2021|website=wnbpa.com}}</ref> '''Golf''' The gender pay gap in [[golf]] is far from over. According to Golf Support, the prize money disparity between male and female athletes is 83% in professional golf. If a male and female golf player both wins a tournament, the male player can earn 6 times more than the female player.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://golfsupport.com/blog/golfs-gender-pay-gap/|title=How Big is Golf's Gender Pay Gap?|date=17 February 2016|website=Golfsupport Blog|language=en-US|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> The [[Professional Golfers Association]] offers female athletes $50&nbsp;million of prize money, far less than $256&nbsp;million which devotes to male athletes. '''Skiing''' The income disparity in professional [[skiing]] is outstanding, too. The U.S Olympian ski racer [[Lindsey Vonn]] points out that to those female ski racers who are not at the top, many of them have to give up their practice time to do part-time jobs to increase their income due to the insufficient prize money they receive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/10/olympian-lindsey-vonn-the-wage-gap-in-professional-skiing-is-severe.html|title=Olympian Lindsey Vonn: The wage gap in professional skiing is 'severe'|last=Elkins|first=Kathleen|date=10 April 2018|website=www.cnbc.com|access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref> For Vonn, although she has won Olympic medals and World Cup titles, a large part of her income comes from endorsements instead of prize money. Despite the disparity, statistics also show the equity of income in sports. Global research conducted by BBC Sport found that in the total of 44 sports that have been surveyed, 35 sports reward the same prize money to male and female athletes which shows an improvement compares to previous years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/40300519|title=Prize money in sport – BBC Sport study|date=18 June 2017|access-date=17 May 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref> The following examples are sports which offer equal prize money. '''Baseball/Softball''' The pay gap between baseball and softball is very far off from each other. The average salary for an MLB player is 4.47&nbsp;million dollars a year. The average pay for a professional softball player is 6,000 a year. There have been some steps in the right direction as there has been a player who signed a 1 million dollar contract over six years. This is still only 200,000 a year. There is still room for improvement, but there are strides being made in the world of baseball.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Churchill|first=Samantha|title=Female athletes fight for equal pay across sports {{!}} The Wellesley News|url=https://thewellesleynews.com/2017/11/15/female-athletes-fight-for-equal-pay-across-sports/|access-date=26 February 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> '''Tennis''' [[File:Usopen-header-logo.svg|thumb|The Us Open logo]] [[Tennis]] has been considered as the leader of pay equity in sports. In 1973, the American tennis player [[Billie Jean King]] moved into areas of pay equity in tennis. Her efforts led to the change of the prize money of the [[US Open (tennis)|United States Open]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/11/sports/us-womens-soccer-pay.html|title=The Long Fight for Pay Equality in Sports|last=Salam|first=Maya|date=11 March 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=30 May 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Starting with the [[US Open (tennis)|United States Open]], up to now, all of the four [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] tournaments offer the same prize money to female and male athletes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.espn.com.au/tennis/story/_/id/24599816|title=Follow the money: How the pay gap in Grand Slam tennis finally closed|date=7 September 2018|website=ESPN.com|language=en|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> The list of the top 10 highest-paid female athletes in 2018 released by Forbes shows that tennis is the best-paying sports for female athletes as eight tennis player joined that list.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2018/08/21/the-highest-paid-female-athletes-2018/|title=The Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2018|last=Badenhausen|first=Kurt|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> In 2019, [[Serena Williams]] is the highest of all women's tennis players on the Forbes World's Highest-Paid Athletes list. She currently is sitting at number sixty-three. Williams is the highest of all female athletes on the list.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/athletes/list/3/#tab:overall|title=The World's Highest-Paid Athletes|website=Forbes}}</ref> '''Volleyball''' [[Volleyball]] is also one of the pioneers of promoting pay equity in sports. The [[International Volleyball Federation]] ([[FIVB]]) rewards the same prize money to both female and male athletes since 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2343836/equal-prize-money-sports-isnt-even-half-story|title=Equal Prize Money for Women Is Great—But It's Only Half the Story|last=Cross|first=Kim|date=13 September 2018|website=Outside Online|language=en|access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref> Specifically, in 2015, the winning male team and female team were all rewarded the equal prize money of $60,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://netherlands2015.fivb.org/en/competition/prizemoney|title=Prize Money – FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships The Netherlands 2015|website=netherlands2015.fivb.org|access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref> '''Surfing''' The [[World Surf League]] ([[World Surf League|WSL]]) has altered the prize money structure and announced that female and males athletes would be paid the same amount of prize money from 2019 season in all the range of events that WSL controlled. This announcement also says that equal prize money campaign will also be managed to introduce to the second-tier surfing matches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-06/world-surf-league-introduce-equal-prize-money-mens-womens-tour/10207322|title=World Surf League to introduce equal prize money for men's and women's tours|date=6 September 2018|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> '''Sports Industry''' On top of athletes, the gender pay gap is also present in sports industry positions. A [[PayScale]] Survey has found that female sport marketing managers and sport event coordinators earn 82 cents and 92 cents respectively, for every dollar a male earns.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 May 2018|title=Is There a Gender Pay Gap in Sports? – Compensation Research|url=https://www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap-sports|access-date=23 February 2021|website=PayScale|language=en-US}}</ref> Disparities in the wages of female and male [[Head coach]]es exist, a study on head coaches in Division One programs finds the gender wage gap to be larger in this sports industry. A study done at the [[University of Northern Colorado]] involved a sample of 72 head coaches in Division One Basketball across the United States and found that male coaches earned an average of $2,716,191&nbsp;million, whereas female coaches earned much less with an average salary of $689,879.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Traugutt|first1=Alex|last2=Sellars|first2=Nicole|last3=Morse|first3=Alan|date=2018|title=Salary Disparities Between Male and Female Head Coaches: An Investigation of the NCAA Power Five Conferences|journal= The Journal of Sport|volume=6|issue=1|pages=40–58|doi=10.21038/sprt.2018.0613|issn=2328-7624|doi-access=free}}</ref> Although, all women may face forms of inequality in sports workplaces, the [[Intersectionality|intersection of gender and race]] leads to more severe barriers in place for [[black women]] in this industry. The lack of [[women of color]] in the athletic administrative and coaching positions in sports is greater as they not only face the challenges brought on by [[gender discrimination]] but also that of [[racial discrimination]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pickett|first1=Moneque Walker|last2=Dawkins|first2=Marvin P.|last3=Braddock|first3=Jomills Henry|date=10 October 2012|title=Race and Gender Equity in Sports|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0002764212458282|journal=American Behavioral Scientist|volume=56|issue=11|pages=1581–1603|doi=10.1177/0002764212458282|s2cid=146366759|issn=0002-7642}}</ref> == References == <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{reflist}} ghuhjhuhjnjinujhuiuhunhjnjnjnjnuhjnhunjnnnjknjnljnjkjbjbkbhb ==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzNsDvNfTZs ''Calls For Pay Equality in Sports Debate''] by [[Studio 10]] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKUatrFPMrY ''Will Men and Women Ever Be Paid the Same in Sport? ''] by ''[[Good Morning Britain (2014 TV programme)|Good Morning Britain]]'' {{Gender equality}} [[Category:Feminist economics]] [[Category:Gender pay gap]] [[Category:Gender and sport]] [[de:Gender-Pay-Gap#Sport]]'