Persuasive Essay: Equal Pay For Women In Sports

Women’s equality is an issue that has been around for awhile. While women have been given many rights to increase equality, including the right to vote and go to college, the problem hasn’t completely vanished. One area that still sees this is in sports. Women’s sports do not draw nearly as many fans and are not covered in the media as much as men’s sports, pay differences between male and female athletes are large, and female athletes have to wait longer to start their professional career than men, which risks their professional career before it even starts.

People all over America and the world are consumed with watching athletes perform in their various sports. Both male and female athletes compete at such incredible levels that require physical talent and drive. Professional athletes are known to get paid salaries that reflect their talent and abilities. Regardless of gender, professional athletes are drafted to receive professional pay. However, equal pay for male and female athletes with the same credentials does not occur today. There is a belief that male athletes are worth more than female athletes and are better at promoting themselves. Also, women salaries are lower because of their gender and are not

Society today is a cruel and vicious beast that needs to be dealt with. Men today make more than women in some parts of the workforce. In the college world of sports, Basketball in specific, money is made based off of statistics. Men and Women in College Basketball should not make the same.

There are many opinions on men and women athletes income. Opponents believe that women should be paid as equally as men athletes, but proponents argue that women athletes are paid just fine. I believe that women athletes are paid fine as they are. I think this because of how much revenue they generate. You might not think of revenue as a good reason to have, but you’ll be surprised by how much revenue takes part of an athlete's pay.

“Join the union, girls, and together say Equal Pay for Equal Work” -Susan B. Anthony. Countless women, even here in the U.S. have some sort of the wage gap. The wage gap is the difference between the median earnings of women relative to median earnings of men. In this case, women earn a significant amount less than men. Although the wage gap has gotten smaller over the years, the wage gap still has a long way to go. Women deserve better than just minimum earnings. Full time, working women should obtain the best promotions and benefits. Women that work just as tough and have the equivalent qualifications as men do still earn less, and that is just unacceptable. The wage gap should be abolished on behalf of women of color and their struggle, equal pay is a global problem, equal pay benefits employers and workers, and the wage gap accumulates over time.

Many women professional basketball players work hard, are dedicated, and have a genuine love for the game; however, many of them are very underpaid when compared to the men professional basketball players. The difference between what men and women are paid for the same job is referred to as the gender wage gap. In the United States that gap is 78 cents, so a woman is paid 78 cents for every dollar paid to a man doing the same work. Lynx player Maya Moore said, "We’re not super rich like the guys … but money’s not everything when you’re talking about dynasties and legacies, and inspiring young women and men, and opening people’s minds." Obviously, they do not play for the money, they play because they love the game of basketball. The women basketball players work really hard and inspire more people everyday. They should be awarded and paid the equal amount just as any male basketball player.

(Attention Getter) What if I told you that for decades, students have worked over 40 hours a week and received absolutely no pay. College athletes are expected to balance the immense workload of school work and represent their school well in athletics.

Michael Vick, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, was convicted of operating a massive dog fighting ring and was sentenced to 23 months in jail in 2007.

The biggest thing that I see that needs to be changed within my school of Lynchburg College is the support of women’s sports. The women’s sports do not receive the same amount of fan support as the male sports. It seems that the records or the scores of the games do not matter when it comes to spectators coming to the sporting events. At our school, a lot of the women’s sports have better records and closer games but that does not detour them away from watching the men’s verse women’s. I try to support every team that we have on campus whether it is a male or female sport. The one thing that I seem to notice every time I go is that if it is a male sport the stands and side lines are packed almost to the point where there is no room to sit. When you go to a female sports event there is not even half the amount of fans that the male sports would receive. At our school, most of the time our female sports are way more successful than the male sports if you look at percentages. For example, in the year of 2014 season, our women’s soccer team won the DIII national championship, but it did not seem to help them to get more people to come out and watch a game after this accomplishment the next year. This issue can be seen across all levels of sports such as professionals, college, and high school. All women within the sporting world are working hard to get women’s sports up to the level that male sports are at but it seems as if it will never get to that point.

The gender wage gap is where men get paid more than women for doing the same job. The gender wage gap has been around since 1960, when women began working full time jobs outside the home. When the wage gap between women and men first became apparent, the issue primarily centered around discrimination against women as the “weaker sex”, a social stereotype. Today the issue has become more complex, involving American cultural norms and politics, and concerns that there are glass ceilings within businesses for women. As a result, many people are indecisive when it comes to taking a position on the matter while others are adamantly entrenched in their mind set. The fact of the matter is that women’s wages should match men’s wages whenever performance of duty is equal. The issue is that there should be equal pay for equal work. Wages should be based on education, experience, exposure, and location in that career field.

There are so many examples of gender inequality not just through sport. Things such as the gender wage gap ignite huge debates and aggravate a lot of women in the work force. There are always answers from men saying things such as “it’s because the less paying jobs are more female dominated or stereotypically jobs for women” and that just fuel to the fire! Males are facetious and sexist towards women and don’t tend to hear our side of the argument before making their

Sexism limits our country. In a world where sexism still exists, women face challenges every day as they choose to embark in athletic activities. Even with the efforts of Title IX, which was established in 1972, there is not equality in sports for men and women. Sexism is real with stereotypes and discrimination on the basis of sex. Even with the high level of success reached by numerous female athletes of many different sports, male athletes always seem to have the upper hand. Whether it is pay, media, support, gear, or playing grounds, one sex always has the better of the two. Male athletes dominate a field that truly is shared by both sexes. What if we treated male athletes the way we treat female athletes? That is a world hard to imagine, and honestly, it shouldn't be. Through female athletes sharing their stories of unfair treatment and pay, sexism and generations of inequality in sports can be overcome.

To begin with, women experience a great deal of inequality in the sport/athletic department. Many female sports are not equally recognized as a much as male sports. An example of this can be shown in baseball and softball. Baseball is a known sport that is popular all over the world that is always being aired on TV. Softball, on the hand, is left in the

Females have a disadvantage when it comes to sports. Society prefers to watch men play many of the popular sports, for example, women’s basketball has less attendance then men’s basketball: “men’s league…Popular NBA teams average almost twice the number of fans per game, and the tickets are more expensive”(DuBois). Not only do women have less fan turnout and the industry produces less money. Which can be attributed to the audience which woman’s basketball appeals to. Women’s basketball appeals to African-Americans,

Women have always been the minority in the world even today: that is in the work force or even in sports. Title IX, an act that was made by the United States Congress in 1972, said that no one should be denied to play, receive financial aid, or discriminate to any education program or activity that pertains to only one sex (Senne 1). This act was a step towards improving female participation and lessening discrimination, but the stereotypes that most of society believes in still exist. This is one of the main reasons why women are discriminated when it comes to sports; by limited payroll, limited media coverage, and stereotypes.