By Jane Churchill

How many women do you think made the list of the world's highest paid athletes in 2019?

50? 20? 10? Not exactly. There is one. 

American tennis player Serena Williams is the only woman athlete to make the list, coming in at number 63. As disappointing as this is, it is not surprising. 

If you’re a soccer fan, you might remember this viral video of the crowd chanting “EQUAL PAY” when the US Women's Soccer team won the Grand Final in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.

In March 2019, the US Women’s Soccer Team filed their second lawsuit against the US Soccer Board regarding unequal pay. Back in 2015, the team filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, citing that US Soccer was not paying the men and women’s teams equally, despite the fact that they both do the same work under the same expectations and working conditions. In 2015, the women's team received a quarter of what the men’s team earnt, despite the fact that the women's team actually generated $20 million more in revenue. The latest gender discirmination lawsuit in the District Court of California is still on-going, with Judge R. Gary Klausner setting the new trial date for May 2020. 

In saying this, it is not just the US team that has faced gender discrimination when it comes to equal pay. The Australian national team, the Matildas, made it to the round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. They took home a share of $1 million for their efforts. If they had gone on to win, they would have received around $4 million in prize money. Whilst this might seem like a significant figure, the Socceroos - the men's national team - received $8 million for simply qualifying and progressing no further than the first round. 

To put this in perspective, the total prize pool offered by FIFA for the Women's World Cup was $30 million. For the men, it was $400 million. 

So why do male sportspeople get paid more? 

Well, for the most part, it actually comes down to marketing. In the latest gender discrimiantion lawsuit against US soccer, one factor that was highlighted in the case was that the women's team is not promoted as much as the men's team, which therefore leads to fewer ticket and merchandise sales. 

Typically, professional athletes do not receive a standardised salary like many other types of employment. Sportspeople often rely on income streams such as brand collaborations or sponsorships. However, the amount brands choose to pay athletes is dependent on how much visibility the athlete will bring for the company. If male athletes are more visible to the public, they will generate more money for the brand and thus brands will pay more for male sponsorships. 

In addition, the actual airtime given to men playing sport in comparison to women differs significantly. Australian TV network Channel 7 faced backlash last year for broadcasting a Nick Kyrios tennis match (World No. 20) over World No. 1 Ash Barty. If the tables were turned, there is absolutely no way an Australian woman ranked No. 20 would be given priority over an Australian World No. 1 man. 

On a positive note, it was announced by the Football Federation Australia (FFA) in November 2019 that the Matildas and Socceroos will receive an equal share of the FFA commercial revenue from 2020 onwards. This is a landmark deal and makes Australia the very first country in the world to guarantee that the men and womens soccer teams will receive the same commercial pay. This is the same type of deal the US Women's Team are hoping to reach with US Soccer this year.

Despite this progress though, no matter how much legislation we pass, if we don’t show up to women's sporting events, request their airtime on television or buy their merchandise, then the gender pay gap between men and women sportspeople will remain. It is up to us to help change the game. Join us in supporting female athletes!

References

ABC News Australia (2019), ‘Matildas set to secure deal with FFA to earn pay equal to Socceroos’, available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-05/matildas-and-socceroos-to-earn-equal-pay/11671102?fbclid=IwAR0KvxPnT9o4QMScE_B6iHE9sUKgosOs9uYNmkX3X1xibCWLWchyjD9G-UI

ABC News Australia (2019), ‘Lionel Messi tops Forbes 100 list of highest-paid athletes, Serena Williams the only woman, no Australians make the cut’ available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-12/lionel-messi-cristiano-ronaldo-forbes-top-100-highest-paid/11201362

Andrew Das (2019), ‘U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Granted Class Status in Equal Pay Lawsuit’, New York Times, available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/sports/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit.html

Victor Mather (2019), ‘FIFA President Proposes Expansion of Women’s World Cup and Doubling of Prize Money’, New York Times, available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/sports/fifa-world-cup-expansion.html