USA Equal Pay Bill: All Athletes To Be Paid Equally, Irrespective Of Gender

Equal pay has long been a matter of discussion across professions globally. In sports, however, female athletes have faced a hard and long battle to get their dues. As several countries are now taking initiatives to address the pay disparity in sports, the United States of America has gone a step ahead to abridge this gap and establish a level playing ground for all its athletes.

The US recently announced that all athletes will now receive equal pay in their sports and the compensation they receive will not be based on the gender

The US House passed the equal pay bill stating that all athletes in the United States who represent the country in international competitions will receive the same pay and benefits in their respective sports, irrespective of their gender.

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Equal Pay For US Athletes

Over the year, as several athletes spoke against pay disparity in the sports and them not getting their due, the authorities took the players' pleas and suggestions into consideration and formulated a plan where equality in sports can truly prevail. Equal pay is the primary factor the US needed to address to bridge the gap.

The House passed the bill 'Equal Pay for Team USA Act' this week, and it will go into effect immediately requiring all sportspersons to be paid equally, regardless of their gender their identity. This covers USA's over fifty national sports. The bill will require the US Olympic and Paralympic committee to oversee responsibilities for the same.

The Senate unanimously supported the bill and passed it, sending it to President Joe Biden.

Bill stems from a gender-discriminatory lawsuit filed by US women's soccer

The US House of Representatives passed this bill following a long fight that the US Women's soccer team put up to be paid as much as their male counterparts. The women's soccer team had filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation for discrimination and their win after a continuous battle over the years addressed many wrongs, including discriminatory behaviour and underpayment among other things.  

The women athletes had even signed an agreement collectively that stated similar pay structures for all genders and demanded equal recognition of the World Cup monetary prize.