In a major move to close the pay disparity between genders, Australia’s women’s football team, the Matildas, will now earn equal pay and many entitlements as those of their male counterparts.
As per this landmark deal, men and women footballers will also share an equal division of all the commercial revenues earned. Further, women footballers will be permitted to travel business class like their male counterparts. Also, the training and operational standards will be brought to the same level as those of men footballers.
The deal also seeks to review the current leave policy for women footballers to support them during pregnancy.
The Matildas are on number 8 spot in the world rankings whereas their male counterparts, the Socceroos, are ranked 44th.
Unfortunately, despite these measures, women are still less likely to earn more than men because of the higher prize money awarded to men in most tournaments.
“This is a massive step taken to close the gender pay gap between the Socceroos and the Matildas,” said the chief executive of the Football Federation Australia (FFA), David Gallop.
The landmark deal was signed on 6th November between the soccer governing body Football Federation Australia (FFA) and the players’ union, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA). The deal has been named the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
“Football is the game for everyone, and this new CBA is another huge step toward ensuring that we live the values of equality, inclusivity and opportunity,” said FFA Chairman Chris Nikou.
By bringing in this deal, Australia joins New Zealand and Norway in bringing about reforms to ensure equal pay for footballers of both genders.
In the recent past, the issue of the gender pay gap has been highlighted several times, especially after the United States won the women’s Football World Cup earlier this year and launched a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation over pay and other facilities.
Isn’t this great news? Do you think other nations must follow suit? Do let us know your views in the comments section below.
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