Feminist movements are in full swing; equality movements are circulating the media. It appears that the gender pay gap is closing…but women are still paid a significant amount less in the sport industry than men, and it is an issue that seems to still be hovering under the radar.
Why is it that women receive lower pay in the sport industry?
This could be traced back to the roots of modern day sports; rewind to the nineteenth century when societies largely viewed physical endurance as activities which were linked to the male sphere and the ‘muscular male’, while women were not suited to such a thing. Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), the founder of the modern Olympic Games described women’s participation in sports as an “unaesthetic sight”, and considered it to be “improper”.
If we look at trends of women’s representation in sport, it took until the 2012 London Olympic Games for there to be at least one female athlete participant in every country’s delegation. For these reasons, it is probable that the gender pay gap in sport can be linked to the wider gender imbalance that exists in the sphere.
This issue goes all the way back to school years, and participation levels as children. The Women’s Sports Foundation research highlights the gender imbalance in participation levels through statistics: 40% of teen girls do not participant in school sports, compared to 27% of teen boys. This could be due to the stereotypes and social pressures that young girls experience. I witnessed this through my friend’s struggle to play football in a boy-oriented field at school; comments during her school years were thrown at her as she broke stereotypes and hit up the field playing for teams which consisted of only boys, and her, the only girl.
Is it true that the gender pay gap in sports is really a thing?
Most certainly, and the statistics are here to show it: the top ten highest-paid female athletes in 2017 together earned $105 million, whereas 3 of the top-earning male athletes, including footballers Messi and Ronaldo, each earned above that in the same year. For the US women’s football team, their win in the 2015 World Cup final won brought them a $2m (£1.5m) reward, whereas the male version of the tournament, the winners were rewarded $35m (£26.5m) just the previous year!
In addition to this, within the ranking tables of the top 100 highest-paid athletes, there is just ONE woman: tennis star Serena Williams.
“I cannot think of any other industry that has such a wage gap, really. Depending on country context and sport, a man can be a billionaire and a woman [in the same discipline] cannot even get a minimum salary” says Beatrice Frey, the Sport Partnership Manager at UN Women.
Debates have been circulating the media in recent years, and some women are even siding with ‘no’ as an answer to whether the gender pay gap should be closed in sport. Just take a quick look at this debate; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKUatrFPMrY
Broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer believes that the gender pay gap in sport should not be closed, because the pay rates are not merely paying the athletes’ wages, but also their sponsorship and viewer numbers, etc. “It’s just the market – the money in sport is commercial“, she states. The statistics tell us that men’s sports have higher viewer numbers: for example, half as many people watch the women’s Wimbledon final than watch the men’s. The point is made in this debate that most sport in this country is watched by men, and that most men generally want to watch other men playing sport, rather than women. The argument that men’s sports are ‘better’, becasue they are stronger, faster, is therefore upheld and encouraged by this. But this should not be the case; women’s sports is exciting to watch, and has a particular focus on team work and intricate skill. Women’s sports is poorly screened and sparsely covered on TV; there is no denying that the exposure the public have to women’s sports on TV is less, and until we change this, the men’s viewer numbers will remain much higher.
So what is being done about it?
A pivotal moment for the gender pay gap in sport movement was in 2007 when Venus Williams achieved equal pay for women at Wimbledon. Williams successfully lobbied British Parliament and wrote a piece for the London Times, in which she slates Wimbledon for being “on the wrong side of history”. This achievement for women in sport has been captured in DuVernay’s documentary, naming “Venus Vs” as the single player who spoke up for women’s rights within the game: “It’s time for women to be treated equally and receive equal prize money – for doing exactly the same sport!”, Williams preaches.
Both the Williams’ sisters have long used their positions to advocate for equal pay for women and minorities. Serena, the highest-paid female athlete globally, has been vocal about the rights black women should have in regards to the pay gap: black women earn 17% less than their white female counterparts, and 63% of every dollar men are paid. Although progress has been made, the battle is certainly not over… “there’s a lot more that needs to happen around the world with pay discrepancies” says Venus, and Serena upholds that: “we need females supporting it, and men advocating for it”.
If male athletes were to advocate the closure of the gender pay gap in sports during their screen time, perhaps this would help the case to successfully be pushed through. Males publicly advocating for pay equality involve Stephen Curry, one of NBA’s elite basketball players wrote an article for ‘The Players’ Tribune’ on Women’s Equality Day which stated “Let’s work to close the opportunity gap. Let’s work to close the pay gap. And let’s work together on this.” In addition, Kelly Slater, the 11-time World Champion in the World Surf League has been involved in such a campaign, and he repeatedly acknowledges the skill of female surfers, and their right to equal pay.
So the answer to closing this pay gap could hang on encouraging participation of females in sports from young ages, it could also hang on both men and women promoting the equality that is needed. Follow the #ThisGirlCan movement, which has had great resonance through its TV, cinema, outdoor and social media advertisemet, encouraging and campaigning for more participation of women in sports. The continual spread of awareness will eventually lead to a closure of the gap.
If you want to know more about the work of Venus Williams, read her article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wimbledon-has-sent-me-a-message-im-on…
Or, why not hit up my friend Niamh’s inspiring book: ‘Playing with the Boys: The Girl Footballer Who Took on the Boys at their Own Game’ , available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Boys-Girl-Footballer-their/dp/1909534382