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“Everyone thinks women should be thrilled when we get crumbs, and I want women to have the cake, the frosting and the cherry on top, too.”
— Billie Jean King, a tennis legend who led the fight for equal pay in her sport
Last week, the 28 players of the United States women’s national soccer team — the largest women’s soccer team in the world — filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, a another measure in its long-term battle for equality.
Athletes – including stars Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd – are challenging not just their salaries, but also where they play, how they get to games, and medical treatment and training that they receive, in what they called “institutionalized gender discrimination”, as my colleague Andy Das reported.
“We have always been, always, been a team that stood up for itself and fought hard for what they felt they deserved and tried to leave the game in a better place,” Rapinoe told the New York Times on Friday. .
The women’s team holds a record three World Cup championships and four Olympic gold medals..
(READ MORE: U.S. women’s soccer team sues U.S. Soccer for gender discrimination)
The issue of pay inequality in sport does of course not only concern football. Across sports, women are paid less and many have fought for fairness in pay and rewards.
Here are other cases where pay inequality has been stark, forcing female athletes to speak out.
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The US Open. After long battles led by champions like Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Venus and Serena Williams, it is tennis that has seen the most progress in terms of pay equity. The first real appeal was made in 1970 by King, after a tournament in Italy for which she received only $600 for winning the women’s title. The male winner received $3,500. King would later make this statement: “Everyone thinks women should be thrilled when we get crumbs, and I want women to have the cake and the frosting and the icing on top, too.”»
In 1973, King threatened not to play in the US Open unless prize money was equalized. It worked. That year, the men’s and women’s champions were paid equally, and the US Open has paid its winners equally ever since. However, other Grand Slam tournaments were slow to follow suit.
(READ MORE: Eight times women in sport fought for equality)
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The Australian Open and other Grand Slam tournaments. Prize money for the Australian Open has been fluctuating for decades: In 1978the male winner was paid approximately 585 percent more than the female winner, ESPN reported last year. And by the mid-1980s, the female winner was paid slightly more. By the mid-1990s, men were once again paid more, prompting officials at the Women’s Tennis Association to push for equal pay. In 2001, the Australian Open accepted, and the winners have been paid equally since. The French Open took place in 2006, then Wimbledon in 2007, a change led by Venus Williams.
Williams unsuccessfully appealed to Wimbledon’s governing body the day before winning the title in 2005. And in 2006, she wrote a opinion article in The Times of London entitled “Wimbledon sent me a message: I am only a second-class champion”. In 2007, she received $1.4 million for her victory, the same amount as men’s champion Roger Federer. More recently, Novak Djokovic, currently world number one, has suggested men deserve more money. “Statistics show that we have many more spectators at men’s tennis matches. » he said in 2016. “I think that’s one of the reasons why maybe we should get more awards.”
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The WNBA Compared to the NBA, WNBA athletes face extreme situations. salary disparities – however, as is often pointed out, the NBA is a multi-billion dollar industry, unlike the WNBA. However, in 2018, the WNBA sets individual salary cap of $117,500, and recruits earned a minimum of around $50,000. The minimum starting salary for NBA players is around $580,000.
Last summer, A’ja Wilson, a star rookie who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, commented on LeBron James’ $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. “That must be nice.” We’re looking for an M here but Lord, let me go back to my lane,” she said. tweeted.
Wilson made around $53,000 this season. The top pick in last year’s NBA draft, Deandre Aytonis expected to earn $6.8 million in its first year.
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American hockey. In March 2017, the women’s national hockey team announced that he would boycott the next world championship if USA Hockey did not increase women’s salaries. The risk was rewarded. Within a few days, the team and USA Hockey reached a four-year agreement which gave players a $2,000 training stipend each month from the United States Olympic Committee and larger bonuses for medals won. “We want to do what is right and what is right, not just for hockey but for all women,” team captain Meghan Duggan said at the time.
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What else is going on
Here are five Times articles you may have missed.
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“My passion was taken away from me.” A midwife who delivered hundreds of babies for Mennonite women is facing criminal charges for practicing without a proper license. Women publicly come to his defense. (Read the story)
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“Black audiences are what I consider my base, and I will always make films for that base.” Actress Regina Hall talks about the two Hollywoods, spirituality and success. (Read the story)
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“Even Google can no longer hide its gender pay gap.” A new federal rule will require large companies to report salary ranges based on gender and race. (Read the story)
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“I didn’t want to be brave.” When her husband was arrested for child pornography, Maddie Corman’s world fell apart. Then she made it into a play. (Read the story)
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“It would be nice to no longer be a black dot on the map.” Mario Batali is leaving his restaurants a year after being informed of sexual assault and harassment of women. (Read the story)
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31 Days of Women: Alison Hargreaves, who conquered Everest like no woman had done before
For Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting the stories of trailblazing women you may not know, but should. We will introduce you to two women each week in this newsletter; meet at our Instagram for daily publications.
In 1995, Alison Hargreaves became the first woman to conquer Mount Everest alone, without oxygen tanks or the help of Sherpas. When she reached the summit, she sent a radio message to her son and daughter: “To Tom and Kate, my dear children, I am at the highest point in the world and I love you dearly. »
His homeland, Great Britain, rejoiced. But the enthusiasm didn’t last long. Three months later, Hargreaves, 33, died while descending from the summit of K2 in Pakistan. Learn more about Alison Hargreaves here.
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