Women’s National Team Equal Pay Lawsuit Filed with the EEOC
Five members of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) recently filed an equal pay lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to the lawsuit, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo, and Carli Lloyd have accused the U.S. Soccer Federation of sex discrimination.
The lawsuit alleges that the women who play for the USWNT are paid a quarter of what their male counterparts make. That number is outrageous when considering that the women’s team has repeatedly dominated the world of women’s soccer, and only months ago claimed the title of World Champions for the third time. The FIFA Women’s World Cup has been held seven times, and been won by the U.S. three times, making them the most successful team in women’s soccer.
The USWNT won a prize of $2 million for winning the most prestigious tournament in the sport. The men’s team earned $9 million in the men’s world cup after they were knocked out in the round of 16. This kind of wage discrimination is despicable.
There are plenty of other examples of the gender pay gap in U.S. Soccer, including:
- Women are paid $30,000 for making the national team; men earn $68,750
- Women can earn $99,000 if they win all 20 exhibition games in a year, while men make $263,320 for achieving the same.
- Top players on the women’s team earn about half of what the men do.
The soccer stars have all said they intend to fight discrimination from now on, and that they will continue no matter how hard it gets.
If you are a victim of sex discrimination or wage discrimination, call of fill out an online form today to find out how Dallas employment lawyer Dan A. Atkerson can help you.