The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) has been in the spotlight winning the 2015 World Cup and also, just as important, creating a voice in the sports world fighting for equal pay for equal play. The amount of compensation the players on the USWNT received for winning the World Cup Championship brought more attention to the significant difference in pay between the men’s and women’s national soccer teams. The compensation that the USWNT received for winning the World Cup Championship was $2 million, compared to the men’s national team that received $9 million for just reaching round 16 in the 2014 World Cup. Not only is there a gap in the compensation received for playing in the World Cup, the USWNT has a lower pay scale for playing regular season games, as well as unequal playing conditions and travel accommodations.
In March 2016, five members of the team filed a federal wages discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that they deserve equal pay to the men’s national team. The women’s national team works just as hard and is just as successful as the men’s national team. This is evident by winning three Olympic gold medals and the 2015 World Cup Championship against Japan. A World Cup title is an accomplishment the men’s national team has yet to receive.
The USWNT’s determination in raising awareness for equal pay resulted in the Senate submitting a resolution, in May 2016, requesting the U.S. Soccer Federation to eliminate gender pay discrimination. This resolution calls for “urging the U.S. Soccer Federation to immediately eliminate gender pay inequity and treat all athletes with the same respect and dignity”. The USWNT has a collective bargaining agreement that will expire at the end of this year, at which point the U.S. Soccer Federation will negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement that will hopefully significantly shorten the gap in pay between the two teams.
Of course, money is not the only issue here; it’s a matter of equal treatment between men and women. On average, women receive approximately 79% of what men earn. The issue of not receiving equal compensation brought up by the USWNT also brings awareness to the Paycheck Fairness Act that has yet to be passed by the Senate. This act will put in place laws that enforce equal pay for women.

Tania Quigley, CPA
Partner
Tania Quigley has been a member of Cerini & Associates’ audit and consulting practice area since 2005 where she focuses on serving the firms nonprofit and employee benefit plan clientele. Tania has experience in performing financial statement audits and reviews, tax return preparation, cost report preparation and filing, retirement plan audits, and other consulting. Tania brings her expertise, diversified background, and helpful approach to all of her engagements.