Equal Pay Debates in International Women's Football

Abstract

One of the most visible discussion points around international level, professional women's football in recent years has been that of gender equitable payment of players. This chapter presents some of the cornerstones of the equal pay debates at play in women's football. First, the emergence of international women's football as a major force in the global sport nexus is highlighted, which has enabled women to be paid to play football as a profession. Second, the historical roots of equal pay debates are presented, before turning to the most public and high-profile remuneration dispute in the sport of football, that of the USWNT versus the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). In this chapter, we outline how the drawn-out legal process has undoubtedly contributed to greater pay parity on the international stage for many professional women footballers and conclude the chapter by offering our thoughts as to the significance, and future, of gendered pay debates in football.

Citation

Bowes, A., Culvin, A. and Carrick, S. (2023), "Equal Pay Debates in International Women's Football", Culvin, A. and Bowes, A. (Ed.) Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era (Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 191-203. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-052-820230013