Topic > Inequality in men's and women's soccer in Spain and the United States

In Spain, unlike women's soccer, men's soccer is the one that receives all the expectations and attention. Even though we find more and more women entering this world, women's football is still undervalued. However, in other places, such as the United States, exactly the opposite happens. Women's football is even more important and attracts more attention, while men's football remains in the background. Women's soccer in Spain is at a disadvantage compared to that of the United States, due to several factors, the main one being the great inequality that exists between the two sexes when it comes to sports. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Some of the causes of this huge inequality between women's soccer in Spain and the United States are due to the different perspectives that each country has regarding the economy, the mass media and the professional world, among others. First of all, we must mention the salaries and professionalism that female footballers have in both countries. In Spain, only one league is considered professional, therefore, and considering that there is already a men's football league, it is not possible for both men and women to be considered professional, so women's football is just a hobby for girls. There are some teams that call themselves professional, but these are only three out of sixteen teams that play in the first division. However, these three teams considered "pro", have no advantage or benefit over the others, indeed, the name "professional" is practically useless, because when it comes to salaries, they are not even close to that of a man. can do to play football. (AS Newspaper, par. 1, 2011). According to the newspaper La voz de Galicia, the female footballer who receives the highest salary earns between 1,000 and 1,500 euros a month, depending on the budget of the team and the player. s experience (par.3, 2012). However, these cases are very rare, because most players do not earn more than 800 euros, and others do not earn a cent, football being as mentioned before only a hobby and not a profession in which players can live financially. According to the newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, however, the footballer with the highest salary earns around 36 million euros (paragraph 2, 2015). Due to economic inequality, many women who practice the sport have to make an extra effort, trying to balance study and work with traveling to matches and training. As for the second division, in addition to not earning anything, the players also have to pay to play, while the men earn at least 4000 euros a month. (ABC Newspaper, par.3, 1014) As you can see, inequality is huge in Spain, unlike here in the United States. In the United States, women are considered totally professional. According to the website La Jugada Finaciera, the player who receives the highest salary is Alex Morgan, who earns around 3 million dollars. (Par.1, 1015). Furthermore, when it comes to university level, it is possible for student athletes to receive financial help, not necessarily a salary but through scholarships, and therefore be able to combine study and sport, which is unthinkable in Spain. Secondly, the unequal impact that women's football has on both countries must be mentioned. In Spain, as far as the mass media are concerned, it is very rare for media such as television or the Internet to broadcast a football match live, unless it is a championship final of the national tournament or a match of the Spanish national team. Apart from that, newspapers and radio don't give much importance to women's football, as far as it goes,.