T20 World Cup Final in Australia Highlights India's Gender Pay Gap - Reuters
T20 World Cup final in Australia highlights India's gender pay gap - Reuters Discover Thomson Reuters Directory of sites Login Contact Support SPONSORED Business Markets World Politics TV More BIG STORY 10 MARCH 6, 2020 / 8:48 PM / 5 MONTHS AGO T20 World Cup final in Australia highlights India's gender pay gap Annie Banerji 6 MIN READ NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When defending champions Australia compete in the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup final in Melbourne on Sunday, they will earn the same as their male counterparts would - in stark contrast to their rivals, India. That the match, expected to attract a sell-out crowd of mainly Australian cricket fans, takes place on International Women’s Day has only intensified the debate surrounding the gender pay gap that India’s sportswomen have to contend with. In cricket-mad India, male players are revered as gods, paid handsomely and showered with lucrative endorsement deals, from watches and shoes to snacks, headphones and even toothbrushes. The women barely get a look-in. Sports analysts say they are trapped in a vicious cycle - without the right resources, they face a disadvantage when playing at the top level, which in turn means they are less likely to get investment. “The women’s game is stuck, like Cinderella, at the hearth while the men are off partying,” said Prem Panicker, a senior cricket journalist who has written extensively about the issue. “And that is unfair to the women, to the game and to us spectators.” A-list women cricketers including T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur, opener Smriti Mandhana and spinner Poonam Yadav make about $68,000 each annually despite progressively better performances, including reaching the 50-over World Cup final in 2017.
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