House Dems: Pay female athletes equally

Two House Democrats are turning to legislation to call on international athletic organizations to pay female athletes as much as their male counterparts.

Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) authored a resolution that establishes a “sense of Congress” that female athletes should be paid the same as male athletes.

The issue of female athletes’ wage parity has come under scrutiny due to the fact that the U.S. women’s national team, which won the Women’s World Cup this month, will be paid more than ten times less than the German 2014 Men’s World Cup winners. 

{mosads}Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which runs the competitions, paid $35 million to the men’s German national team in 2014, while awarding the U.S. women’s team $2 million.

Castor and Maloney’s resolution urges organizers of athletic competitions to “actively take part in combating the wage gap.”

In a letter to FIFA President Sepp Blatter last week, Maloney accused the organization of making excuses for the pay gap. She noted that men and women are paid equally at the Wimbledon, French Open, Australian Open and U.S. open tennis championships.

“You have the opportunity and responsibility to follow this example. FIFA’s mission is to develop ‘football everywhere and for all.’ It does not discriminate, and neither should you,” Maloney wrote.

“It is unfortunate but true that women around the world are accustomed to earning less for the same work.”