US Soccer Says Women's Team Has Been Paid More Than The Men

The US Women’s National Soccer Team who are now World Cup champions has reportedly been paid more than the men’s team, according to US Soccer. A letter describing the significance of equal pay was released on Monday by U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro, and they confirmed that the federation paid out $34.1 million in salary and game bonuses to the women between 2010 and 2018 wherein $26.4 million was paid to the men. The total does not include the value of benefits received only by the women, like health care.

The Megan Rapinoe team which is fighting over wage gap and using their Women’s World Cup performance to campaign for equal pay, moved toward mediating a federal lawsuit in which players for the women’s team accused U.S. Soccer of “institutionalized gender discrimination” that includes inequitable compensation when compared to players on the men’s team.

The Megan Rapinoe team which is fighting over wage gap and using their Women’s World Cup performance to campaign for equal pay, moved toward mediating a federal lawsuit in which players for the women’s team accused U.S. Soccer of “institutionalized gender discrimination”

The federation is facing raging public pressure over the pay structure. “In the weeks ahead, we’ll focus on preparing for mediation and resolving this matter in the best interests of the WNT and U.S. Soccer. I want you to know that U.S. Soccer is committed to doing right by our players, and I’ve been encouraged by the public comments from players expressing their desire for a cooperative approach. I remain optimistic that we can find common ground,” Cordeiro wrote. “Together, I believe we can get this done,” Time.com reported.

Highlights

• The women’s national team players receive a base salary of $100,000 per year, USSF said.
• An additional $67,500 to $72,500 per player as a salary is paid for playing in the National Women’s Soccer League.
• The women also have health care benefits and a retirement plan
• USSF also says the men’s team generates more revenue.
• The women’s team generated $101.3 million over the course of 238 games between 2009 and 2019 while the men generated $185.7 over 191 games
• The men’s team missed out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the women have won back-to-back World Cup titles

Cordeiro said in the letter that the federation adding, “Now that the Women’s World Cup is behind us, a common understanding of key facts will also help advance our shared work to grow women’s soccer in America as well as the larger national discussion about equality.”

Molly Levinson, a spokeswoman for the players in matters involving the lawsuit, however, called the letter “a sad attempt by USSF to quell the overwhelming tide of support the USWNT has received from everyone from fans to sponsors to the United States Congress.”

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“The USSF has repeatedly admitted that it does not pay the women equally and that it does not believe the women even deserve to be paid equally,” Levinson said adding, “This is why they use words like “fair and equitable,” not equal in describing pay.”

“The USSF fact sheet is not a “clarification.” It is a ruse. Here is what they cannot deny. For every game a man plays on the MNT he makes a higher base salary payment than a woman on the WNT. For every comparable win or tie, his bonus is higher. That is the very definition of gender discrimination,” Levinson said in a statement.

“For the USSF to believe otherwise, is disheartening but it only increases our determination to obtain true equal pay”

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Feature Image Credit: The Guardian

Read More Stories By Ria Das