Since the beginning of time, women have been trying to be men’s equals. Fighting for rights, jobs, education, and so many other things, we have become independent trying to achieve the same realities men get handed to them. While this may be controversial, I believe women can do just about everything a man can. In fact, I think some things women do better than men. Even though the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was passed, women are still striving to reach the expectations everyone gives men. While we have so many things that women can do and be successful doing, we still are not equal to men. Even though women and men are doing the exact same thing, women will always be seen as “less than” in most qualified industries. However, one of the biggest losses for women is how they are treated by men in professional sports.
There are so many things about women’s sports that deserve better. Not only do they deserve better pay, but better coverage and support. Serena Williams is one of the most popular tennis players, not just out of females but men as well. While I can’t name a single men’s tennis player, I have always been aware of Serena Williams. She proves herself more than anyone, but still is only ranked #49 in the top 50 paid athletes. Not only is this proof women are incredibly underpaid, she was the only woman seen on this list. With tennis not even being a popular sport, the fact that Williams is the only female on it is insanely surprising, however, not a complete shock. For instance, it is easy to assume that this would be the case since women are constantly not seen as enough.
In an article from Scripps News “Equal pay in women’s sports”: The challenge for female athletes”, the reader is made aware that an equal pay law was passed. While this worked in some places and the price for both genders was equal, other places and sports completely ignored this. Even with an actual law, women still will not be given respect and it is upsetting. While it may be an easier argument if the pay difference was miniscule, this is not the case. “A recent CNN analysis found that internationally, women playing in the 2023 World Cup earn 25 cents to the dollar of men, a quadruple jump from the last cup but still far below their peers,” this article states. This only reiterates just how bad this issue is and how much women are truly being done wrong. While it may be easy to argue women’s sports get less pay because they have a smaller audience, this huge difference in pay is not equal to the small portion of audience women’s sports have versus men’s.
While the only thing women can really do is speak up for the mistreatment put on these passionate players, it is still a hard pill to swallow. I believe that something changes within this intense difference in pay soon because these women do not deserve to not feel like they are not enough. People all over the world have such an easy way they can make this issue ease up on women. I encourage everyone to partake in this issue.