Pay Disparity in US Soccer
The US Women National Soccer Team earns less than the Mens team. As a team, they seem to perform better and win more than the Men. But why would they get paid less? Is this gender discrimination?
Carli Lloyd: Why I’m Fighting for Equal Pay
Carli Lloyd speaks out of why she has taken such a large role in this movement regarding pay disparity between men’s and women's soccer teams. The vast reason that she and four other members of the national team have come together and spoken out is that they are “tired of being treated like second-class citizens.” Lloyd is not mad at the mens team, “we love those guys and we support those guys.” Rather, she is angry with the federation and the history of the way they have treated the women in contrast to the men. When Lloyd joined the team in 2005, there were no health benefits or salaries so it has made some development but “we’re nowhere near where we should be.” Lloyd will continue to fight and not back down, "If I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s that nothing worthwhile in life comes easy."
Data: How does the U.S. women's soccer team pay compare to the men?
On March 29th, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe filed a complaint with the federal government for being paid less than their male counterparts. The women made their complaint with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) against the US Soccer Federation. PBS writer, Laura Santhanam, breaks down the numbers of the pay difference. The women projected more profit than the men in 2017 while the men lost profit (-$1,000,000). This is the first time that gender discrimination regarding pay in athletes has been brought to the EEOC.
U.S. women's soccer team gets a raise in new labor deal
Carli Lloyd speaks out about how the US Women's National Soccer Team has finalized its collective bargaining agreement with US Soccer. The new contract they signed allows a 30% base pay increase, bigger bonuses, better transportation and hotel accommodations during away games. Ahiza Garcia interviewed Lloyd who talks about how she wants to be a role model for younger girls. Lloyd is being as persistent as she has been in this movement for the next generation, she wants to leave the game better than when she got here.
Pay Disparity in U.S. Soccer? It’s Complicated
The players on the U.S. women’s national soccer team earn less than those on the men’s team. After that, things are murkier. Andrew Das, writer for New York Times, breaks down the different elements of the pay disparity. The men's team brings in more revenue than the women's, through sponsorships and tv ads. Although, in 2015 the women brought in more revenue than the men after their famous World Cup win. Due to the women stepping up in the past year, US Soccer's budget predicts that while the women will gain revenue next year, men will lose the federation $1,000,000. Das continues to break up the pay to numbers and explain the math behind why the women make less, what they are doing about it and why this topic has come up so much in the past year.
Team USA members on historic fight for equal pay in women's soccer
Players on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (Carli Lloyd, Morgan Brian, Christen Press and Becky Sauerbrunn) are fighting the U.S. Soccer Federation over wages and treatment they say are not fair with their male counterparts. When asked about what is so important about this fight, Press responded, "This is a social movement, I think. This is about gender discrimination and I don’t think that positive change occurs in the world unless it has to." Despite having US Soccer Federation invest the most money in the Women's team, compared to the other national women's soccer teams, it is still not equal pay.
Should women athletes earn the same as men? The science says they work as hard
Professor of Exercise Science, Kevin Netto, writes about why women athletes get paid less than men. Netto writes about the science between men's and women's bodies and how they are differently built. For a 100 meter sprint, physically women would have to use more power and effort to sprint it in 11 seconds. Due to the mass of men compared to mass of women and the different way they are built, women would have to use 100 percent of her effort whereas men might only need to use 90 percent. This shows how for women to be trying their hardest physically, men are capable of doing more based on different types of bodies and the chemicals inside.
