On February 23, Beijing time, according to the latest report of the Associated Press, the U.S. women's soccer team and the U.S. Soccer Association reached an agreement worth $24 million (about 150 million yuan), after the two sides have been suing for the so-called "equal pay for men and women for equal work". Under the agreement, the U.S. Soccer Association will pay women players a total of $22 million (about 139 million yuan). That's a third of the $66 million (about 417 million yuan) compensation demanded by the women's players. In addition, the U.S. Soccer Association will set up a $2 million (about 12.65 million yuan) fund to support the life of female players after retirement and develop women's soccer programs. The slogan of the U.S. women's soccer team is - we are world champions, Olympic champions, the U.S. men's soccer team is so bad, why can't we get equal pay for equal work? (At this point, I can't help but think of our Chinese women's football team.) ）
The U.S. women's soccer team is the 2019 Women's World Cup champion
Women's soccer teams demand equal pay for equal work, and this is not the first case. Brazil and the English Football Association have committed to equal pay for men and women for equal work under the struggle of women's football in their countries.
The U.S. Soccer Federation's position has always been that the prize money for the Women's World Cup is less than one-tenth of that of the Men's World Cup, and it is difficult to pay the same level of wages. The U.S. women's soccer team has filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Soccer Association on this issue since 2016. Five female star players, including Alex Morgan, Megan Rufino and Hop Soro, have filed complaints with the federal government on behalf of female players, saying it was unreasonable for them to be paid less than male players.
The main reason U.S. women soccer players demand equal pay for equal work is "grades." To date, the U.S. women's team has won the World Cup and Olympic Championship four times. The U.S. men's soccer team, on the other hand, isn't even close to winning the World Cup.
The resignation of former U.S. Soccer Association president Carlos Cordeiro, who had a dispute with U.S. women soccer players in March 2020, marked a turning point in the game. Previously, it was reported that the association's documents submitted to the court contained sexist content, saying that the physical ability and influence of female players were low, which caused controversy. After Cordeiro's resignation, Vice-President Cindy Farrow Cohen was promoted to Chairman.
Vice Chairman Cohen, who was once a member of the women's national team, listened to the voices of the younger generations and advocated the reversal of the lawsuit. After this victory, the U.S. Soccer Association also promised to pay the U.S. women's soccer team the same level of allowance as the U.S. men's soccer team, including prize money for World Cup matches.
At the end of this article, I would like to ask a question, when will the Chinese women's football team be able to achieve equal pay for equal work with the Chinese men's football team?