EQUAL PAY! That was the shout heard round the world from the crowd celebrating the U.S. victory at the women’s World Cup final against the Netherlands. The U.S. team’s 28 players have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the U.S. Soccer Federation of gender discrimination. The women get paid less, don’t train at first-rate facilities like the men do, and don’t stay in first-rate hotels like the men do.

The female players were paid $1.725 million after winning the 2015 World Cup. The men’s team didn’t even come close to winning. The men were paid $5.375 million in 2015, even though they only made it to the 16th round. According to the Wall Street Journal, from 2016 to 2018, the women’s team generated $50.8 million compared to $49.9 by the men’s team. Last Sunday’s TV broadcast of the women’s final attracted 22 percent more viewers than last year’s men’s World Cup final between France and Croatia. (Source: Nielsen data)

The question for American women—and women of the world—is why does it always have to be like this? Why do we have to take companies, organizations, and public institutions to court to make them do the right thing? Women go to work every day knowing that they are not paid as much as men who do their exact same job. It’s not fair, not just, and not right.

It is no surprise that women athletes are leading the way. Congress enacted Title IX in 1972, opening the door for women to play sports in high school and college. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the number of high school girls participating in sports reached an all-time high in 2017-18 with 3,415,306 girls playing sports, compared to 4,565,580 boys. Most of the girls choose track and field (488,592), followed by volleyball (446,583), basketball (412,407), soccer (390,482), softball (367,861), cross-country (223,518), tennis (190,768), swimming/diving (175,594), competitive spirit (162,669), and lacrosse (96,904).

Women have forged ahead in professions as well. Last year, the number of women enrolled in U.S. law schools and medical schools surpassed the number of male enrollees. The number of women in business schools is at 47 percent and growing. In the next few years we will see a dramatic shift in the professional ranks with more women lawyers, doctors, accountants, and executives than males in those roles. The number of women politicians is also on the rise with 100 in the House of Representatives and 25 in the Senate. There will no doubt be more women governors, mayors, and state representatives.

Men still dominate engineering with only 20 percent of women receiving engineering degrees last year, but that is changing too. The public school emphasis on STEM programs will result in more women choosing engineering as a college major, along with science, technology, and math.

Equal does not mean dominance. It means the same pay, benefits, and opportunities for both genders. The U.S. Soccer Association has already offered the women’s team more money—but not equal pay. The exceptional young women who have won two World Cups in a row will eventually win equal pay and benefits.

While the U.S. women’s soccer team was making us proud, more American women athletes were wowing tennis fans in England at Wimbledon. The 15-year-old phenom Coco Gauff was the youngest Week 2 player since Jennifer Capriati in 1991. Another American, Alison Riske, knocked No. 1-ranked Ash Barty out of the tournament.

More good news ... women are getting more money for playing college sports. Of the 49 Texas universities that award athletic scholarships, 33 of the colleges (67 percent) offer bigger scholarships to women than to men. (Source: www.scholarshipstats.com/average-per-athlete.html). Thank you Title IX!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mary Jane McKinney is the founder and CEO of Grammardog.com LLC, a publisher of grammar exercises. She has used her English degree as a teacher, editor, reporter, and marketing executive. Readers who have questions or comments on this column are welcome to write to the author in care of The Canadian Record, PO Box 898, Canadian, TX 79014, or by e-mail at: fifi@grammardog.com.