The hard-fought victory of the U.S. women’s soccer team in 2022 to achieve equal pay and benefits has catalyzed activism across the international women’s soccer scene. Corresponding pressure on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) led it to triple the prize money for this year’s Women’s World Cup from $50 million to $150 million. Throughout the tournament, which runs until August 20, FIFA is also partnering with UN Women and five other UN entities in a campaign to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination and abuse. Matches from July 30 to August 3 featured “Unite for Gender Equality” messaging throughout the stadiums and across social media, and the theme for the August 15 semifinal will be “Unite to End Violence Against Women.”
These steps, however welcome, represent small moves to level a highly unequal playing field. No other…