The future of female skiing

The issue of equal pay caused discussions, debates and frustrations for decades. As reported by skimag.com, as of 2017 the average full-time working woman in the United States costs 82 cents per dollar. In the sport sector, this gap is even greater between men and women.

Friday 13 July 2018 5 minutes reading time

Skiing, however, seems to be an exception. According to the FIS, the best female skiers have gained more than the best skiers on average for the second consecutive year, thanks in particular to Mikaela Shiffrin. "These women are really dominant," says Megan Harrod of the Press Office of the US Ski and Snowboard Federation, "I think this is the golden age for female skiers." The FIS requires a minimum prize money, in the World Cup stages, equal for both men and women. "I was a bit surprised, but when I saw my results compared to the skier this year (Marcel Hirscher, ed), it actually makes sense - my season was just as successful in terms of wins and podiums ". "Our athletes feel honored to be part of a sport that recognizes equality," says Harrod, who compares female skiers with professional soccer players like Abby Wambach. At the end of his football career, Wambach had scored the most goals of any player, yet he received an annual salary of only $ 200,000. Lionel Messi, with less goals and fewer wins at the World Cup, has earned over $ 50 million a year. In addition, the United States has won three women's soccer World Cup since the tournament started less than 30 years ago, while the men's team has not reached the finals once in the 90 years of the men's soccer World Cup. More: the 2015 United States-Japan final was the most watched football game in US history, yet the team won only $ 2 million for its victory over the men's World Cup winners of this year, which will be rewarded with 38 million dollars. "If I had a daughter, I would like you to be given the same opportunities as men and have the same pay. Over 50% of humanity is a woman, right? "Says Steven Nyman, an American downhill racer, while women like Shiffrin and Vonn continue to break records, they are also used as reference models for young women all over the world Harrod and Shiffrin affirm that equal pay makes sport even more attractive for young women. Shiffrin praises its competitors for the number of fans they attract. "These are women who take skiing to a very high level in almost every race - says Mikaela - they make it exciting to watch and have exciting, angular and fun personalities that attract fans and spectators to the sport. , ski races need these personalities and a high level of competition in order to spread ". Even though skiing competitions seem to be on the right track with regard to gender equality, says the writer at skimag.com, there is still a lot to do with other sports and in general in jobs where women they will continue to make less money simply because they are women. "It's important to continue the discussion and it's important to give hope," says Harrod. "We have come a long way, but we still have a lot to do."

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