Pay disparities between women and men athletes are a prominent issue that athletes have vocalized for decades but in more recent years companies are finally listening.

Amongst the top five most popular sports in the country, women were consistently underpaid in comparison to their male counterparts, according to a 2019 study from Adelphi University. The most striking disparity exists between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) with male athletes averaging over $8 million in player compensation in comparison to the $75,000 female athletes receive.

Women’s fight for equal pay has been a long-fought battle that has seen a string of victories over the last few years. In 2017, the USA Women’s Hockey team announced a strike to dispute unfair wages and earned a deal where they received an increase in salaries and performance bonuses.

In 2018, the World Surfing League became the first global league to award an even distribution of prize money to male and female athletes. And in 2019, the WNBA created a new agreement to honor women’s athletes with improved salary compensations and benefits including daily allowances, travel benefits, and job opportunities, Forbes previously reported. A huge milestone for women athletes, but the journey is not over.

Parity

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