Pay women fairly

As the garland-draped floats carrying the U.S. women’s soccer team wound through New York City’s Canyon of Heroes underneath a cascade of red, white and blue confetti, a familiar chant greeted the World Cup champions: Equal pay! Equal pay!

The same cheer had ricocheted through a stadium in Lyon, France, after the team defeated the Netherlands 2-0 to win its fourth World Cup title: Equal pay! Equal pay!

The players have long been calling for the same thing. In March, 28 sued the U.S. Soccer Federation, which oversees both men’s and women’s national teams, for gender discrimination.

Not only are they paid less than the male players, the suit claimed, but the federation also spends less on practice facilities, travel arrangements and medical care for the women’s team.

How’s that?

As their performance in this World

Cup demonstrated, the women’s team is made up of elite athletes at the top of their sport. They are skilled, unstoppable and infinitely enjoyable to watch.

This year’s women’s championship match drew about 14.3 million viewers in the U.S., 22 percent more than the number that tuned in to the 2018 Men’s World Cup Final.

Yet, under the team’s current contract, the women have to win more games to earn the same or more than the men.

Less pay for equal or better work. That’s just unfair — for the women’s soccer team and for the millions of working women across the country grappling with the gender wage gap.

Women make up about half the American workforce, and are the primary breadwinners in four out of 10 families. About 9 million women — one in four — are raising children on their own.

But they are consistently paid less than men. On average, women in the U.S. make about 82 cents for every dollar paid to a man, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The gap is even wider for black women, who earn about 61 cents for every dollar paid to a white, non-Hispanic man, and Latinas, who earn 53 cents.

The statistics, calculated using median earnings, don’t take into account factors such as experience and educational level, career choice, time off for having children or caring for an ailing family member — all of which could affect pay level.

Still, there is no denying that too many women are paid less than they deserve, an inequity that starts right out of college. One year after graduation, research shows, a pay gap already exists between men and women who majored in the same subject.

The gap persists in occupations across the salary spectrum — from high-paying STEM fields such as engineering and architecture to lower-wage jobs such as food preparation.

As for the excuse that women make less because they don’t demand more money? It’s false, according to a Harvard Business Review study that found women ask for raises as often as men, but are more likely to be turned down. The researchers found no evidence that women were less assertive in negotiations.

Why does this matter? Aside from the basic fact that people — no matter their gender — are owed a fair wage, equal pay is also good for the economy.

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, equal pay would cut poverty among working women and their families by more than half and pump $513 billion into the economy.

During the first Democratic candidate primary debate, former HUD secretary Julian Castro described his single mother’s struggles to pay the rent. “If we want to be the most prosperous nation in the 21st century, we need to make sure that women are paid what they deserve,” said Castro, who promised to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

Its passage would ensure that women and LGBT people have equal protection under the constitution.

But more must be done, including passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would prohibit employers from asking applicants about salary history, ban companies from retaliating against workers who share wage information, and increase penalties for equal pay violations. The bill, which has been introduced in Congress 11 times, was approved by the House in March.

Sadly, it is unclear if the legislation will get a vote in the Republican-led Senate. That’s unacceptable, and voters should hold their representatives accountable for blocking a bill to ensure basic fairness. But individual employers need not wait on politicians to act. Step up, employers, and pay women fairly for their labor. We would all benefit.