These legal actions detail the unequal treatment and compensation of the USWNT, as compared to the U.S. men's national soccer team (USMNT).
[1] Both the women’s and the men’s national teams are required to play 20 exhibition matches per year, but were compensated very differently as of March 2016.
[4] In March 2016, five female players (Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn) filed a federal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission[5] accusing the Federation of sustaining a payment structure that pays female players less than their male counterparts.
[8] Separately, in February 2016, the U.S. Women's National Team Players Association filed a complaint in U.S. District court seeking to void an extension of its collective bargaining agreement with the United States Soccer Federation through the end of 2016.
It started with the firing of the legal counsel and head of the players union, Rich Nichols, on December 28, 2016, just three days before the USWNT’s CBA was set to expire.
Equal treatment was also addressed in the new contract, which required the USSF to inspect fields on game day to ensure that they are in satisfactory, safe condition for soccer play.
[17] The 2019 lawsuit claimed that discrimination by the Federation impacted player compensation, where and how frequently they play, training, medical treatment, coaching, and travel arrangements to matches.
[20] Late on Thursday, February 20, 2020, both the USSF and the USWNT filed motions in a California federal court that each proposed an end to the gender discrimination trial.
The USWNT claimed that because the USSF was clearly in violation of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII, two federal laws, they desired summary judgment.
In May 2020, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner dismissed the unequal pay portion of the lawsuit, while allowing the claims of discriminatory work conditions to proceed.
The USWNT legal counsel argued in their appeal that the court held that pay is equal if a woman can obtain the same amount of money as a man only by working more and performing better, which is not the law.
[25] The USMNT players association filed an amicus curiae in support of the appeal, stating that "the men stand with the women in their fight to secure the equal pay they deserve.
[28] The U.S. women's team's collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of December, 2021, and the U.S. Soccer Federation expressed hoped that a resolution could be reached outside the court system.
[1][31] The terms of settlement also require equal pay for both male and female soccer player for friendlies, tournaments, and the World Cup.
Even though the women's Euro 2022 final between England and Germany showcased remarkable talent, prize money at major tournaments still lags behind the men’s teams.
[35][36][37] "The U.S. women’s national team is a production of a particular historical cultural formation; thus, it can not exist outside of the neoliberal, postfeminist, and post-racial context that created it.
[48][49] In 2019, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia introduced a bill that proposed to cut off all federal funding to the men's 2026 FIFA World Cup until the women received equal pay.
[50] In 2020, then U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden called on the team to not "give up this fight," and demand U.S. Soccer "pay now," or "when I'm president, you can go elsewhere for World Cup funding.
"[51] The lawsuit from the USWNT members is similar to actions in other sports and employment fields where women are systematically paid less than their male counterparts.
[52][53] Following the 2019 World Cup victory of the U.S. women's team, Senator Kamala Harris said, "As we celebrate the @USWNT today, it's on us to take up their charge and fight for equal pay.
[56] The website, lfgthemovie.com,[57] details the topic of the documentary, including the participants (Megan Rapinoe, Jessica McDonald, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara, Sam Mewis, Christen Press), filmmakers (Change, Everywoman Studios, Propagate), and partners (P&G’s Secret and Always brands, Women’s Sports Foundation, Step Up).