Women’s Soccer and Gender Discrimination

August 12, 2019 by

womens soccer and gender discriminationAfter winning the World Cup title, the U.S. women’s soccer team has amassed a huge amount of support as they fight for equal pay and better working conditions. Their claim of the institutionalized gender discrimination dominating the sport for years will now be heard in a Los Angeles courtroom. 

Specifics of the Women’s Soccer Claim

While the obvious complaints around pay inequity are well publicized, the women assert a number of other discriminatory problems, including:

  • Where they are allowed to play;
  • The number of games played;
  • The quality/quantity of medical treatment and coaching available;
  • Travel arrangements for away games.

The suit against U.S. Soccer is a prime example of similar struggles in the world of women’s sports in this country. W.N.B.A. players and American hockey players have all been struggling to improve working conditions and salaries for women for years, and have been coordinating with the U.S. soccer players and their union to bolster the efforts.

Equal Pay Grievances Aired

Taking the lead in speaking up for the women’s team is Megan Rapinoe, the team’s captain. She notes that the women’s team plays more games than the men’s team, and has a significantly better record. Nevertheless, they have spent decades getting far less pay than the men’s players.  The problem extends beyond U.S. Soccer. FIFA, the world-wide governing body for soccer, has been charged with a number of discriminatory actions, involving issues related to World Cup bonuses and standards for referees to soccer fields made of artificial turf. FIFA has responded by doubling World Cup prize money for women and by eliminating play on artificial turf for the past couple of years. The women were also afforded the luxury of flying on a chartered plane for the tournament, and provided improved meal and accommodation stipends.

Nothing Simple Here

Although many people agree that equity is essential in the world of sports, some point out that the contracts for men and women are very different, and it is not a simple apples-to-apples comparison. Even if the contracts were identical, women’s sports are simply not as popular or as profitable as their male counterparts’ games, and that is a fact that must be part of any compensation calculation, according to the naysayers on the other side of the argument. Yes, women work just as hard and experience incredible success. But ticket sales directly connect to compensation, and therein lies the rub.

That being said, does it make sense that the prize money for the men’s World Cup is nearly 10 times the amount for the Women’s championship? The women answer with a resounding no. It remains to be seen how the court will respond to these complicated issues. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Gender Discrimination Tagged With: , , , ,

Gender Wage Gap – California Fair Pay Act

November 28, 2016 by

Gender Wage GapThe gender wage gap has been around for a long time, and came to the forefront with Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House. Although Clinton lost the election, the issue she ran on is still alive and well. Are you a woman who suspects disparate wages due to gender discrimination?  You need an experienced legal team to help you recoup the wages you deserve.

Gender Wage Gap in California

An analysis of California wages demonstrates that women were earning about $8,000 less per annum than men in 2012. Women of color lagged even further behind. Latina women earned only 43 cents on the dollar, Black women earned 63 cents on the dollar, and Asian women earned 72 cents on the dollar in comparison to white men. The situation has improved with time, but women on average earn just 79 cents to every dollar a man earns in this country.

Why the Gender Wage Gap?

Research indicates that women traditionally gravitate toward lower paying jobs, such as nursing and teaching. Even in professions such as marketing and technology, women actually ask for roughly $14,000 less than their male counterparts for the same job. That makes it easy for employers to offer women about 3% less than men for the exact same position.

Discrimination may play a role in wage disparities. A Cornell study concluded that when women compete for men for the same job while holding equivalent credentials. Their study corroborates with census data indicating that across industries, job functions, and educational background. Women earn significantly less than men for the same work.

Closing the Gender Wage Gap in California

This fall, Governor Jerry Brown took a step to improve matters when he signed a tough new pay equity law that will come into effect in January 2017. Supplementing state and federal laws requiring equal pay for equal work, the new California Fair Pay Act prohibits bosses from paying employees less for “substantially similar work” when their titles or locations differ. It also bans retaliation against employees who discuss their disparate salaries.

Now, more than ever, rather than differentiating pay at will, employers must apply a reasonable standard based on seniority, merits, quantity or quality of production, education, or experience.  Furthermore, employers must keep accurate records of pay for three years.

Remedies for Discrimination and Retaliation

Under statute, employees may recover wages plus interest and attorney’s fees. If unfairly discharged as retaliation, an employee may pursue civil action and seek reinstatement, as well as pay for lost wages and benefits, plus interest. The employee must make such a claim within one year of the perceived actions. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, California Labor Law, Gender Discrimination Tagged With: , ,

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