After U.S. Women’s Soccer Equal Pay Deal, SCCC Player Eyes Progress
‘My hope is that all sports will equal women’s pay to men’s,’ says Emily Capra
Members of the U.S. Women’s National Team promoting their wage fight efforts in 2019.
March 18, 2022
Last month, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team reached a $24 million payout wage discrimination settlement with U.S. Soccer. As part of the settlement, women soccer players will now be paid the same as their male counterparts.
This is an important milestone for equality in women’s sports, said sophomore Emily Capra, who is a midfielder and defender on Suffolk’s women’s soccer team.
“All I can say is … finally! I was ecstatic to hear about this, not only as a soccer player but as a woman in sports,” Capra said.
Capra, who has played soccer for 15 years, described the importance of having equal pay within sports and how that affects the progression of women’s sports overall.
“Equality in sports is important to me because I firmly believe that everyone deserves the same pay, rules and regulations when playing at the same level …. Without pay equivalation, there will never be progress,” she said.
This settlement comes after a lengthy fight that started in March 2016 after five members of the national team filed a federal wage discrimination claim. Since then, many court battles were lost, and the president of U.S Soccer even resigned in March 2020 due to the intense backlash over findings of pay inequality.
However, as the fight continues within women’s soccer with FIFA, there are similar battles in other women’s sports, which include the WNBA, Canadian soccer pros, and Olympic gold medal ice hockey athletes, according to the Feb. 26 article in the New York Times.
As the fight for equality continues, Capra has an optimistic outlook for many young female athletes around the globe, including herself as she furthers her soccer career.
“My hope is that all sports will equal women’s pay to men’s. Women will hopefully be given greater respect for their skills, commitments, and accomplishments in their respective sports,” she said. “I believe that this settlement will spark more conversations on the topic of equality within women’s sports. My hope is that other sports will follow in U.S. Soccer’s direction, equating pay.”
