2017 National Women’s Soccer League Championship Game
Credit: © Andrew Bershaw, Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance of women’s achievements and contributions to society. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature woman pioneers in a variety of areas.

After a six-year battle, the United States women’s soccer team and U.S. Soccer have reached a settlement. On Feb. 22, 2022, the two sides announced the deal. The settlement requires U.S. Soccer to pay $24 million to the athletes and pledge to equalize pay for women’s and men’s soccer. The battle began when Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Hope Solo filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against U.S. Soccer in 2016. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a United States government agency. It enforces laws that prohibit job discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. The 5 women claimed they earned 40 percent of what the players on the men’s national team were paid, even though the women were ranked higher internationally. They also argued that their bonuses, transportation, and meal money for training camps were inferior to that of the men’s soccer team.

U.S. forward Alex Morgan drives the ball in the FIFA Women’s World Cup opening group stage match against Thailand at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, France, on June 11, 2019. Morgan scored five times in the 13-0 U.S. win.
Credit: © Feel Photo/Shutterstock

The soccer players are not the only playmakers who have fought for equal pay for women. In the United States in the 1960’s, the women’s movement discovered discrimination in the workplace, where women received lower pay and fewer promotions than men. Several laws passed during the 1960′s and 1970′s aimed at providing equal rights for women. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires equal pay for men and women doing the same work. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits job discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as on the basis of color, race, national origin, and religion. These changes helped pave the way for the soccer players.

The United States women’s soccer team has scored big over the years. They won the Women’s World Cup titles in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019. They have also brought home gold from the Olympic Games in 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012. The team has been ranked number one by FIFA  since 2015. FIFA is the sport of soccer’s world governing body. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). Soccer is called football or association football in much of the world.

In 2019, 28 U.S. women’s soccer players added to the pressure by filing a gender discrimination lawsuit. They withdrew their original complaint with the EEOC. The women fought to get equal pay and benefits but were defeated in April 2020. However, the players continued to fight by appealing the ruling. The new president of U.S. Soccer, a woman, hinted that the organization would make a deal with the women’s soccer team.

Throughout the years, the soccer players have inspired other athletes to speak up and ask for equal pay and treatment, including professional ice hockey and basketball players. Many other women athletes will be following their steps after successfully U.S. women’s soccer took down U.S. Soccer. The women’s team can now focus on the game, as they take on teams from around the world just in time for Women’s History Month this March.