This Monday, May 23, marks the International Day of Women’s Soccera day promoted since 2015 by the North American, Central American and Caribbean Soccer Confederation (CONCACAF) to promote the practice of soccer in women from all over the planet and contribute to gender equality.
Precisely, the celebration coincides with what is perhaps one of the greatest advances that has been achieved on the subject: the equality achieved by the players of the United States. An opportunity to review the direction that women’s football should take.
The case of the USA
Equal pay, equal conditions, compensation for long-term injuries and psychological problems, distribution of World Cup prizes and income from sponsors. The American ‘soccer’ took a step forward and signed a historic agreement these days for a collective agreement that guarantees equal treatment in the women’s and men’s professional soccer teams in the country.
The fight led by stars of the United States women’s team such as Megan Rapinoe or Alex Morgan, who in 2016 opened a dispute with the US Equal Employment Opportunity and Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for salary discrimination, had a prize. Early last Wednesday, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the Chicago-based body in charge of soccer in the country since 1913, announced the first collective bargaining agreement that guarantees equal pay and establishes a new global standard.
“If a group of players had not had the courage to open a dispute against their own employer, we would never have reached this achievement,” Becca Roux, the director of the US Women’s National Team Players Association, recalled at a press conference.
“It is everyone’s victory. We hope that this marks the movement in general, I hope that it affects not only football, but sport and society”added Cindy Parlow Cone, president of the USSF.
(You can read: Egan Bernal gave an account to the ‘Goebbels-style’ campaign: Petro’s former adviser).
The agreement was signed by the USSF and the American players’ associations and lasts until 2028. It not only provides equal pay and prizes but also an identical mechanism for sharing the commercial income of both teams. No football federation currently offers to match the earnings of their men’s and women’s national teams for their participation in their respective World Cups.
Among the priorities is also the support for players who have children during their professional career. In this sense, the agreement provides that “those who have to take leave due to pregnancy or to care for a newborn or adopted child will continue to be compensated with an agreed amount for a maximum of six months.” They will also have medical insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance through the USSF, in addition to the ‘401K’ retirement program, a US system that provides added financial assistance from companies to workers facing the end of their professional careers. .
The players will have, like the men, with forms of compensation for the injuries they suffer related to football and also for psychological problems caused by their profession. To this is added the important section on the “Safe Work Environment”: the agreement provides for a protection system to prevent the risk of harassment and inappropriate behavior. In this way, players will be able to periodically give opinions about the treatment they receive, also anonymously, to protect their dignity and privacy.
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