This summer, between June 7 and July 7, the United States Women’s World Cup Team will compete to be the best on the soccer field at the Women’s World Cup. Off the soccer field, the United States Women’s World Cup Team are working for something even more important: gender equality.
Gender equality means equal treatment regardless of gender. For years the United States Women’s World Cup Team have advocated [publicly asked for] to get the same treatment as the United States Men’s Soccer Team. They have demanded better conditions for their team such as staying in better hotels, traveling on better flights, and playing soccer on better fields.
Unequal pay is one of the biggest issues facing people working for gender equality. The United States Women’s World Cup Team does not get paid as much as the men’s Team. They have sued [taken legal action against] the United States Soccer Federation, the group that organizes soccer in the United States. They claim that they are not paid as much money as the men’s soccer team even though they do the same job.
The United States Soccer Federation claims that saying the women and men’s team do the same job isn’t accurate. They claim the teams play in different competitions. They say the difference in pay is not based on gender. Courts will decide on the case.
Whatever the courts decide, gender equality is an important issue in the United States. It exists outside of sports as well as inside of sports. In the United States, women make an average of $.80 for every dollar that men make for the same job. As they compete for the World Cup, the Women’s World Cup Team will bring attention to this inequality. It may inspire women in other jobs to demand equal pay.
What Do You Think? How do you think things that happen in sports affect the world outside of sports?
Photo Credit: Matt Jacques/Alamy Stock Photo
