My greatest fear came true three years ago:  when the world of men preferred a criminal thug over a capable, experienced woman beloved around the world.  I was cynical that humans had evolved enough to make room for someone that didn’t look, think or act just like them.  Sadly, I was proven right.

We are taught as women to care for men, to entertain men, to serve them.  Religion tells us that and as an extension, so does culture.  When women started working, men rebelled.  Women were only allowed to serve men in the workplace as secretaries, teachers, nurses.  And these women were the playthings of men.  Supposedly adult men would chase women around the office like a child chases a dog’s tail.  When the tail is captured, it gets pulled, the dog yelps or bites.  When the women gets captured, she has to either placate the man, or confront him which leads to being fired or forced to quit the workplace.

When women got tired of serving men, we started to work beside them.  Our hope was that we would be treated fairly and equally.  That never happened.  Men fool themselves into believing that women are treated the same, but any woman will tell you a different story.  Women, in their jobs, are told they are to love their job, that it is a calling.  This “woman’s work” is love, a calling–code for low pay or no pay.  The mother toils all day for no pay, not even gratitude.  So does the wife.  So does the secretary, teacher, nurse.  “It’s a calling, you love what you do,” we’re told by men.  But what they really mean is “you’re low paid or not paid because you’re not respected.”

In a man’s world, where we all live in reality, money equals respect.  When a woman works beside a man, she deserves respect.  That means the same pay.  But  it doesn’t happen.  Even in 2019.  Even with the two-time winners of the World’s Cup.  The U.S. women have won consecutive World Cups and four championships in total.  Their viewership is higher than the men’s World Cup which means the ad revenue is higher.  Women are winning more and bringing in more money.  Does that mean more respect?  No, it does not.

The U.S. women’s soccer gets paid 25% of what the U.S. men get paid.  The worldwide pay is even worse.  The World Cup pays the winning women’s team only 10% of what it pays the men’s winning team.

Think about that.  The U.S. women’s team has won four World Cups (two consecutive Cups,) and brings in better viewership and more ad revenue than the men.  But gets paid only 25% in U.S. games and only 10% in FIFA games of what the men get paid.

When the U.S. women won their second World Cup this week in France, the crowd chanted, “Equal pay!  Equal pay!”  The U.S. women are currently suing for equal pay.  FIFA is considering it, but the increase is pathetically low and nowhere near equal.

Again, the world of men, or patriarchy, is telling women we are not respected.  We love what we do, so we don’t deserve an equal and fair wage.  But wait a minute!  Don’t the men love what they do?  Instead of playing soccer, they could be working on Wall Street or digging ditches.  But they play soccer because they love what they do.  They do what they love for a living and they make obscene amounts of money doing it.  And they are shown respect by their pay and the attitude of their critics and fans.  The female coach, Jill Ellis, of the women’s U.S. team has gotten ridiculous criticism for the way she has shaken up the team which has lead to two consecutive World Cups.  But instead of praise, she is criticized for every little step and misstep she has taken to get them there.  Also, the women on the team have been called “arrogant” and “disrespectful” for being proud of their win.  This is another example of a double standard.  Men in sports can call out their opponents, challenge them, belittle them, grab their crotches, be all manner of crudeness–but that’s okay because they’re men.  The women make playful but harmless jokes and they are called out by the men, using coded words that mean they aren’t being “ladies.”  Stay in line, ladies, don’t forget to fold your hands in your lap when you sit–and sit with your legs together.  Don’t act confident and tough, that’s only for men.  Ladies, you have to be demure, meek and delicate–while you are playing sports!

This double standard, and the lack of equal pay are trying to keep women from joining the sport that men have dominated for centuries.  A sport that men have enjoyed while women watched from the sidelines.  A sport that women weren’t allowed to join until we sued and got the U.S. Supreme Court to enact Title IX which allowed girls to join sports programs in schools.  This happened in the 1970’s.  It’s only been 40-some years that girls and women have been allowed to join sporting programs by law.  Men have spent generations enjoying the freedom to play sports and do work that they love–and get paid well doing it!  They take for granted their freedom.  But they certainly show their disdain for sharing that freedom with women.  By making double standard comments and allowing double standard treatment of women.  By allowing women to be paid 1/10 of what men get paid even though women are doing a better job of it.  By ignoring the fact of women’s unpaid labor to continue every day around the world.

Men will not stop the slow march of change.  They may set it back a few years by putting a criminal and a bully in charge.  They may slow it down by delaying lawsuits to be settled.  But patriarchal men will not stop the twinkle in a little girl’s eye when she’s set a goal to be the next Rapinoe. Or Williams.  Or Clinton.