FIFA missed a penalty shot by not speaking up for pay parity
equality. It was the same trite old message that it’s still up to women to prove themselves. This was a golden opportunity to leverage the undeniable success of the tournament that was held in Australia and New Zealand to telegraph a message of acceptance that women are world-class competitors in sports traditionally dominated by men.
Instead, the ball was kicked into the women’s half. We heard women “have the power to change." “Just keep pushing, keep the momentum going, keep dreaming," Infantino said. Nothing about it’s time for men’s attitudes to change.
Infantino has been calling for greater financial commitment to the women’s game. Prize money for this women’s World Cup exceeded $150 million, up from $30 million in 2019—yet still far short of the $440 million pot distributed at the men’s World Cup last year. FIFA earned $7.5 billion in revenue from the Qatar event, indicating the enormous growth potential for the women’s game.
Even if the latest comments were not interpreted as intended, they offer a glimpse of the attitudes men in positions of authority hold towards recognizing women as equal. Not to mention the sexism that still exists, as a kiss that briefly overshadowed Spain’s defeat of England to win the World Cup reminded us. Women are told to lean in.
They have been doing just that for the past decade. Yet progress toward parity is advancing at a snail’s pace. The World Economic Forum estimated that it will take 131 years to achieve political, social and economic parity, according to its 2023 Global Gender Gap Report.
Read more on livemint.com
