About a year ago, the United States women's team decided to sue their own union for discrimination. Unequal wages and poorer conditions compared to the nation's national team were the basis for the sentiment.
Ahead of the trial, which is scheduled to start in May, the union has released a document describing their position on the players' lawsuit. In the document, the union writes that the job that a male national team player requires requires more responsibility compared to a player in the women's national team.
- Everyone understands that the argument that "men's players have more responsibility" is pure gender discrimination, says Molly Levinson, spokeswoman for the US women's team and continues:
- This is exactly what illustrates the discrimination that led us to start the lawsuit against the union from the beginning.
The American Football Association also writes in the same document that a higher degree of skill is required of a male player at the national team level than a female. According to the union, more strength and speed is needed by a male player compared to the colleagues in the women's team.