The players on the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) who filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation have reached a settlement, ending a dispute over equal pay and working conditions that has been ongoing since 2016. In 2016, five USWNT players had initially filed a wage discrimination complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Three years later, just months ahead of their triumph at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, a total of 28 USWNT players filed a lawsuit against the federation, accusing US Soccer of “institutionalized gender discrimination.”
Under the terms of the agreement, detailed in a court filing on Feb. 22, the players will receive $22 million in direct compensation from US Soccer, which will provide an additional $2 million for the players’ post-career goals and charitable causes related to women’s soccer. In addition, US Soccer has agreed to pay the men’s and women’s national teams equally for all friendly matches and tournaments, including the World Cup.
Photo: Peter Glaser on Unsplash
