FemSports News

Arial Park
Jul 10, 2022
Over the past few years, the Women’s World Cup prize money has significantly risen. Although, there is still a substantial gap between the pay of sportsmen and women.
ACCORDING TO GOALS, 2021
2018 World Cup in Russia men’s team winners → $35m
2019 World Cup in France women’s team winners → $4m
→ Substantially less
→ Men’s team earned 875% of what the women’s team earned
→ Cash prize for 2018 winning men’s team was more than the total amount of money that all 24 women’s team competed for in 2019

PREPERATION COSTS AND CLUB COMPENSATION
2018 World Cup for each men’s team → $1,500,000
2019 World Cup for each women’s team → a little over $800,000
→ Men received nearly double what the women’s team had been paid
→ Reasoning for the salary gap: Women’s World Cup doesn’t receive as much revenue
How do women’s salaries in sports compare to those of men?
In the World Cup held by Russia in 2018, the men’s team winners received $35 million. Contrary to the women’s tournament held by France in 2019, their winners only received $4 million. This is a considerable difference, with the men’s team earning 875% more of what the Women’s team won. In fact, the cash prize for the winning men’s team was more than the total amount of money that all 24 women’s teams competed for in 2019.

Separate from the salary that each athlete receives, there is a certain amount of money given by FIFA to each team as club compensation and preparation costs. In the 2018 World Cup, every player of the men’s team received $1,500,000 whereas in 2019, each woman received only a little over $800,000. From only the comparison of these statistics, the men have received nearly double of what the women’s team have been paid.

In response to the outrage of fans by this unfair inequality in pay, FIFA’s reasoning is that the women’s World Cup doesn’t receive as much revenue as the men’s. Although the women’s tournament may not draw as much views or attention, this argument still does not suffice the extreme difference in salaries.