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A new settlement will give members of the US Women's National Team $24 million in payments from U.S. Soccer – much of which is back pay that acts as an admission that compensation for the men's and women's teams had been unequal for years.
Emily Zitek
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior
Emily Zitek studies the sources and consequences of psychological entitlement, stereotyping and discrimination in various domains, and factors that affect people’s participation and performance in sports. She says the settlement is a big step forward toward equal pay.
Zitek says:
"I think the settlement is a big step forward, not only for the USNWT players, but for female athletes in general. I am very happy that their perseverance paid off. Their fight for equal pay and conditions had positive effects on soccer players in other countries. I hope this settlement helps people think about other ways to improve the pay and working conditions of other female athletes of a variety of sports both within and outside of the U.S. Poor pay and working conditions have been a huge problem for a variety of women's professional sports for years.
"This is a moment people can latch onto. Seeing these soccer players have success in their fight for equality should help make other female athletes more confident that they can also have success if they keep fighting."
