The gender pay gap in football has become an important area of discussion recently.
The sporting world has been delighting in the current Women's World Cup, but the action in France has also brought awareness to the staggering disparity in player wages.
Definition: Pay gap
The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally paid less than men.
Case: US Women
UN Women, an arm of the United Nations, highlighted the statistics this week by comparing Lionel Messi's earnings with players in the women's game.
The Barcelona star earns an eye-watering $84 million-a-year from his wages, bonuses, commercial deals and other payments.
That's more than double the amount being earned by 1,693 female footballers across the top seven leagues, which comes to a comparatively paltry total of $42.6-million-a-year.
And following the latest impressive 13-0 win by the US team over Thailand, calls for pay parity have been heightened.
No matter where you stand on the debate, it's an important conversation to be having and now Donald Trump - one of the world's most powerful figures - has waded into the debate.
Stance: Donald Trump
"I love watching women's soccer," the US President told The Hill. "They’re really talented.
"I know that when you have the great stars like [Portugal's Cristiano] Ronaldo and some of these stars… that get paid a lot of money, but they draw hundreds of thousands of people.
"But I haven't taken a position on that at all. I'd have to look at it."
So, in the opinion of Trump, it's understandable that male footballers like Ronaldo and Messi are paid more when you consider the commercial interest and economic brawn they offer.
Investment: FIFA
Fifa's position is that the organization is making significant progress in encouraging the women's game.
Prize money "is only a small part of the investments Fifa is doing for the development of women's football around the entire world," says Sarai Baremen, its Chief Women's Football Officer.
Over the next three years, Fifa plans to invest $400m-$500m directly into the women's game. Its last financial report showed that the organization spent $28m on women's football promotion.
The winners in France will receive $4m (£3.2m), double the amount of the previous tournament in 2015. The prize money given to other teams depends on how far they get, starting at $750,000 (£590,000) for taking part in the initial group stage.
In total, Fifa awards $30m (£24m) to the competing teams in the women's tournament.
Wider gender inequality issues
The pay issue is just one of many injustices that women’s soccer players face. For instance, women routinely play in more difficult conditions than men.
At the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, players were forced to compete on artificial turf rather than grass, which many blamed for a range of injuries. At the World Cup, women also often play with fewer rest days between games, stay in less conformable accommodation, and travel in economy class.
Many women also note that FIFA and their national federations have not done enough to promote the women’s game around the world. One glaring example of this is the fact that FIFA scheduled the Women’s World Cup final this year on the same day as the finals for two other men’s tournaments – the Gold Cup and Copa America.
While many obstacles remain, the success that women’s footballers have had in challenging the status quo has inspired athletes in other sports to fight for their rights too.
Near future
What might the US women’s team do when (and if) they get their time in the spotlight in the final in Paris? Will this Women's World Cup a seemly platform to reduce pay gaps? Time will sort out.
dizdklmost
589
Football is to Men as Beauty contest is to Women. Everything is not supposed to compare!
MoazzamBaloch
285
Messi, Ronaldo and all others is paid more because of their marketing and the money their clubs earn because of them. I can't see any woman selling millions of club shirts per month and the TV rights are too expensive because of the demand. Their products are used worldwide, teams doesn't pay the players from their own pocket, they pay from their earnings. How many of you have watched a women's football game? I don't think many have ever watched it. Its about the ferocious sum they earn from the players and plenty of the performances which turns the game upside down in their favour even when they're losing
Middeirs
202
the highest earning female footballer should be able to earn at least 5% of the men. for one player to earn more than twice of what all women of world football earn is outrageous. FIFA can help promote the women game. give it more attention. personally, I'm happy with the on going women's world cup, the attention it has gathered and the turn out. the women football has a future. I advice patience is key. men's football started decades before women football was conceived.. noteworthy it is to mention that in the above article, when men competitions ongoing simultaneously with the women's were mentioned, gold cup and copa America were mentioned, but not the AFCON...it's alright..
Leo0fSparta
177
Totally agree with Trump. They bring far more profit to the club than women, so the clubs pay them more. First becouse they can, second, becouse they want to keep getting the money ot of their sales. Women football is actually not that bad, but winning 13-0 in a world cup game doesn't only prove the quality of the players bug that there is a huge gap between those 32 teams (i think). In men's football World Cup you almost never see results above 5 or 4 against nil becouse the difference between quality of the players isn't that big. Female football is improving, but it will not reach today's male level for at least 5-10 years.
bababklmr
150
Women's football is growing but the reason why they don't get paid as much as their male counterparts is because the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and other male football players attract millions and millions of people. There are many people around Africa, Asia and all over the world that watch football and idolize male football players like Messi, Ronaldo, Son, Salah, Mane and others. And they also have lots of marketing value and commercial value which is also essential. And in many countries, many people see football as their life, many people have many struggles in life, life is not easy and football is the reason why they get joy in their life. Watching teams like Man utd, Barca, Madrid and other teams play gives them joy, football connects people.
neabcimory
126
Is this a fucking joke? Men's footballers without a doubt deserves to get paid more. You can't argue with me on this. Football has been a men's sport for the past centuries and not until recently in history was women's football introduced. The likes of Pele, Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and so many world class stars made football so attractive on the pitch. The likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp and so many other mastermind on the sidelines made the game so beautiful. If women want equal pay rights, they should better get started on producing icons such as these even if they remotely want to get close to how successful the men footballing industry is. Maybe, just maybe then only they can attract the millions and billions of fans these icons have managed to gather the past decades. It's not about what's equal and what's deserved. Just because women think they should deserve equally as men, doesn't mean it should work out. You want equal pay? You fucking go out there on the pitch, train hard, work hard and push your limits to rise to the same levels as these icons. Otherwise you can just shut the fuck up and go do something else or just be happy with what you get paid. PS: Just because you beat a team by 13-0, doesn't mean you deserve to get paid more. It just shows how big of a joke women's football is with little competition between the sides.
Adityaraj18
74
Reasons why Men football is better than Women 1.Men's football is attractive they have skills they use some magical tricks on pitch. 2.Speed-you have to admit that womens are slow as compared to men 3.Women football don't have stars right now. 4.They have never done something magical which attracts people to watch their game. 5.13-0 Game shows that one team was overpowered as compared to the other they need some dramatic games.This is football not basketball
El-kap
73
Female Pornstars make more money than male Pornstars. Why? Is it because of sexism? No!. It's because female Pornstars bring in a bigger crowd than the male Pornstars so they get paid more. If you're in more demand you get more money.. Gender equality my a**
wecaenors
46
its all because most percentage of women across the globe dont have any Interest in football. So if they dont have supporters how will they get the polpularity to get their names to be a brand. whereas in men's football the majority of the men follow the football regardless of what their profession is. Which is why men get paid more the clubs use them in market as a resource. saying that I dont deny that women should be getting a bit better wage but paying them equal to the men would be a loss for the club who dont gain much by their presence as a brand. Now if America feels the injustice let them pay their players more.. But if women go to fighting for wages it may be possible that they might be no more football left for them...
Joycilnopy
35
men's football is far more superior than women's mens football is interesting to watch men's football is more marketable men's football have more tv rights men's football has bigger sponsorship deals men's football fills up stadiums all these plus many many other reasons make men's football worth all the money ohh and we have a GOAT in mens football
Vopbilosyz
33
its simple, they arw not at the same level, and no they are not talented and their football is boring, i saw 1 fucking game this year and its a fucking joke, there is bo match in sports between men and women, and no they will never get paid the same, because lets face it, its bullshit to pay the same amount of money on somthing only few people would watch, even women dont watch women's football, fuck this gender equality shit, start taking steroids and get to men's level, when u want gender equality u have to fucking be able to pkay like a man and impress the world like a man, then u can ask for fucking money
ziybdnotuy
20
Messi, Ronaldo and all others is paid more because of their marketing and the money their clubs earn because of them. I can't see any woman selling millions of club shirts per month and the TV rights are too expensive because of the demand. Their products are used worldwide, teams doesn't pay the players from their own pocket, they pay from their earnings. How many of you have watched a women's football game? I don't think many have ever watched it. Its about the ferocious sum they earn from the players and plenty of the performances which turns the game upside down in their favour even when they're losing
It’s USA, they think they will control the world with their ideologies.