Negotiating for Equal Pay: The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (A)
In 2016, members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (WNT) took steps to fight for equal pay relative to the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. Their legal representative declared that the memorandum of understanding governing the relationship between the players and the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) was terminable at will. If a court agreed with this position, the players could threaten to strike in advance of the upcoming Olympics. In addition, five of the top WNT players filed a wage-discrimination complaint against the USSF with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This case describes the history of the WNT and the USSF leading up to these events.
Citation:
Exley, Christine, John Beshears, Manuela Collis, and Davis Heniford. "Negotiating for Equal Pay: The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (A)." Harvard Business School Case 920-029, December 2019. View Details