Equal Work? Equal pay!
Let’s do what is both decent and right: pay one another equally.
After years of, um, kicking things around, the U.S. Soccer Federation has agreed to pay male and female players equally.
“The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the United States Women's National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) and the United States National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) have agreed to terms of historic, first-of-their-kind collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that achieve equal pay and set the global standard moving forward in international soccer.” (1)
“The new agreements come after years of pressure from the women’s national soccer team, including legal battles as well as public interviews, to ensure female soccer players receive the same compensation as men. The women’s team has argued it was paid less than the men’s national team despite winning two consecutive World Cup championships in 2015 and 2019, while the men’s team failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament.” (2)
A landmark achievement, to be sure. But what about pay disparities in other walks of life? Are there any protections on the books?
Ostensibly, yes. “The right of employees to be free from discrimination in their compensation is protected under several federal laws, including the following enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.” (3) Some states also have enacted relevant legislation.
The problem, however, continues to be pernicious. “Worldwide, women only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. ...This stubborn inequality in the average wages between men and women persists in all countries and across all sectors…” (4)
As Thomas Jefferson said (sort of): “All men (and women!) are created equal.”
Let’s do what is both decent and right: pay one another equally.
Sources:
(1) https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/05/ussf-womens-and-mens-national-team-unions-agree-to-historic-collective-bargaining-agreements
(3) https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/facts-about-equal-pay-and-compensation-discrimination
(4) https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/csw61/equal-pay
Background:
https://now.org/resource/women-deserve-equal-pay-factsheet/
https://www.payscale.com/research-and-insights/gender-pay-gap/
https://wappp.hks.harvard.edu/news/equal-pay-work-equal-value