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Pay Gap Solved?

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Have you ever wondered how much men and womens soccer players get paid or how much they win from the World Cup? Men and Women’s soccer has had some obvious pay gaps in the past and though they are being fixed now women soccer players get 25 cents to the dollar of what men soccer players do at the World Cup (CNN).

The U.S women's soccer team recently won the World Cup in 2019 and the U.S men's team didn't even make it through tournament play to qualify for the men’s World Cup, but still women soccer players only made 20% of what the men’s players did (Ronald). There are many different reasons why pay would be different, like the popularity of the player and also how good they are at their said sport. The Women’s National World Cup is thought to make $131 million dollars in income, but that is only 2% of what the men's players make at $6.1 billion dollars, in 2018( “ The Heritage foundation”). However the women's team has slightly made more over the past few years. It was also made clear that the U.S women’s players chose through their union on what a reasonable pay is (which can be higher or lower for good performance and bad performance). They would be paid during any sort of leave that they would have to take. The men's team however only are paid when they are called to play. So the choices of the players of both genders do explain a little more of what the 25 cent pay gap is about. 

“On average the women's soccer players that are playing at the 2023 World Cup will earn 25 cents for every dollar that the men will earn at the World Cup.” says Issy Ronald, Antonio Jarne and Krystina Shveda in their CNN article. “Still that is more of an improvement from the past years. In 2019 it was less than 8 cents per dollar”, they also said. The pay gap was very much alive during tournament play last July. “FIFA announced in June 2023 that for the first time about $49 million of the $110 million from the World Cup prize money would go to individual players, and at least $30,000 each for participating. Also $270,000 to each player on the winning squad”, (Ronald).

Most of the earnings will be split between participating federations who will figure out what part of the money to give to the teams and their players {only if they want, they could end up keeping it all and not give any to the teams or players}. Also in addition to the money they have for the World Cup prize, FIFA is paying 42 million dollars to the federations and players. Apnews’ “ US Soccer equalizing pay in milestone with men and women”, says that “the U.S. Soccer Federation came up with a milestone agreement to pay both men and women teams the same, which would be the first in soccer and other sports to pay both genders the same. The federation announced that the USSF ( The United States Soccer Federation), the USWNTPA ( the United States Women's National Team Players Association) and the USNSTPA (United States National Soccer Team Players Association) agreement for equal pay would go through in December 2028 with the unions for both national teams.” “The deals happened mainly out of a comment by players on the more successful women’s team, including Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, who were at the main end of the gender-equality fight while leading the team to a Women’s World Cup championship in 2019 ( ESPN sports ).  The struggle for equal pay was so much a part of the team’s story that when they won the title in France the crowd was chanting '' Equal pay, Equal pay, Equal pay.” Morgan and Rapinoe will still be main parts and reasons for the deal once it goes into effect in 2028”, (Ronald). 

The Pay Gap between men and women World Cup winnings and seasonal play is close, but yet far. The agreement set for 2028 will be in action and men and women will be paid the same and will soon have equal pay in soccer. 

   Works cited 

Hernandez, Joe. NPR, npr, 18 May 2022, www.npr.org/2022/05/18/1099697799/us-soccer-equal-pay-agreement-women.

Murry, Caitlin. ESPN SPORTS, espn, 10 Feb. 2022, www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37625325/comparing-their-us-soccer-contracts-sides-negotiate-new-cbas.

Peterson, Anna M., and Ronald Blum. APNEWS, 18 May 2022, https://apnews.com/article/us-soccer-equal-pay-65070ae0dfb82598b2815295039dfd2d 

Ronold, Issy, et al. CNN sports, CNN, 20 July 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/football/womens-world-cup-pay-prize-money-spt-intl-dg/index.html. 

The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 15 July 2019, www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/commentary/why-the-pay-gap-between-womens-and-mens-soccer.