The Equal Pay Act requires that employers pay men and women equally, for equal work. Does this apply to professional athletes? The U.S. Women’s soccer team sees no reason why it should not, and this question is going to play out in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. On March 8th, the women’s team filed suit against their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, just three months before they will defend their World Cup title in France this summer.
Gender discrimination affects not only their pay, the suit contends, but “also where they play and how often, how they train, the medical treatment and coaching they receive, and even how they travel to matches.” The suit has thrust the team “into the forefront of a broader fight for equality in women’s sports.”
Nothing has stopped this team on the field, and it will be interesting to see how they fare in federal court on this important issue of equality. Read more here.