As it is with most industries in the UK, the sporting world has a significant pay gap between genders, with football having one of the largest differences. Footballers pay varies hugely depending on the league that they play in and the club that they play for. Even though we are seeing many women’s leagues now being professional, there can still be some undeniable pay differences between the male and female leagues.
In 2018, the FA launched their three-year Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plan: ‘In Pursuit of Progress’. This challenged targets around gender and ethnic diversity. In their 2020 gender pay gap report, the FA stated that “we are pleased with the ground we continue to gain in the gender balance of our workforce which is reflected in a further reduction in our median gender pay gap. We have more women at the most senior level of our business and more women coaching our national women’s teams.”
With an increase of female representation within football, we see more women breaking through the glass ceiling and achieving admirable goals. But, even though we are seeing more of women in these roles, it is not to say that it is all fair.
In the FA’s 2020 gender pay gap report, it shows a 0.7% increase in their average hourly pay gap since 2019, to 17.5%, in favour to male employees.
The FA are quick to identify that “our gender pay gaps do not mean that the FA pays men and women differently for performing similar roles, but are instead heavily influenced by the fact that we have more men in the most senior roles.”
Contrastingly, the mean bonus payment received by women in 2020 was 2.4% higher than that received by men.
As much as people may still regard football as a predominantly male sport, it is undeniable that women’s football is increasing in popularity and women are taking on more roles within the sport. With a total season audience of 14.5 million viewers in 2021, women’s football continues to grow and become more conventional. We can hope that a decrease in the gender pay gap becomes more conventional, also.
We have to start somewhere, and having more women in senior roles feels like a very good place to start.
By Arabella Gennard Gardner
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