BY KAYLA GATES
For women, equality has been an ongoing battle. Although there have been improvements in recent years, the gender still faces discrimination when it comes to athletic payment. However, female athletes have taken a stand, making sure their call for equality is heard.
When ranking the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2018, the list consists solely of men. The analysis, which Forbes has published annually since 2012, has only ever encompassed three female athletes at a time.
Tennis star Serena Williams, who is the world’s highest paid female athlete, failed to make the overall rankings this year. Her salary, which was roughly $18.1 million this year, matches that of an average male athlete. Some of the highest salaries for men range anywhere from $100 million to $200 million, including athletes like Floyd Mayweather, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
This gap also applies to athletes playing at the same level. One example is the United States National Soccer Team. The men’s team, which was eliminated in the first round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, was paid $9 million. In contrast, the women’s team was awarded $2 million in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, despite winning the tournament.
This inequality can be linked to the difference in each gender’s following. When questioned about salary differences, many organizations point to the amount of money made. With men’s sports gaining more attention and bringing in more revenue, many make the claim that they have the right to be paid a greater amount. Additionally, with sponsors targeting male leagues, these athletes receive more earnings than their female counterparts.
The drastic difference in salaries has become an increasing issue, especially for young athletes at CCHS. When examining their future, many girls are concerned with the effect this will have on the careers they are pursuing.
Freshman Kate Kaplan, who is a member of the swim team, shares these worries. As an aspiring athlete, hoping to swim professionally in college, she feels that the issue will have a sizable impact on her future.
“The fact that females are still not being paid the same amount as male athletes concerns me,” Kaplan said.“I feel like the United States should have already moved to equal payment by now.”
However, women are fighting this inequality by taking a stand against their employers. Five members of the Women’s National Soccer Team recently filed a lawsuit against the organization for the wage discrimination they have faced. The union representing the players and the organization have since reached a financial agreement, but the women’s complaint against their treatment is ongoing.
Due to protests by female athletes, progress is being made. Many countries have implemented equal pay laws, with 25 out of the 35 major sports distributing the same amount of prize money to men and women. While this is a major step, there are still many countries to go, including the United States. For many, it is believed that the sports industry still has a lot of room for improvement.
Photo by Alexa Jaspan
