Massive gender pay gap in Mexico's football

The first season of the women's football league in Mexico ( Liga MX femenil ) is over. It was quite a success, breaking ticket sales records as the weeks went by. TV networks began to pay more attention to the event and even toyed with the possibility of having the matches broadcast on national television.

Yet not everything is cause for joy. Gender inequality in Mexico is also reflected in the massive gender pay gap between the men's and women's football leagues.

The highest-paid female football player earns an approximate of USD$1,600 per month (roughly MXN$29,688) which gives us an average of USD$19,177 (MXN$356,266) per year.

Female football players like Nayeli Rangel (Tigres), Cecilia Santiago (America) or Mónica Ocampo (Pachuca) are among the lucky few who can earn such wages because estimates say 90% of female football players in Mexico don't earn more than USD$326 (MXN$6,000) per month, that is, USD$3,912 (MXN$72,000) per year. Not even a tenth of what André Pierre Gignac earns – the highest-paid male football player in Mexico.

The French football player earns almost USD$4.2 million (MXN$ 77,932,260) a year.

Oribe Peralta

(USD$2,519 / MXN$46,388), Darwin Quintero (USD$1,814 / MXN$33,399), Jesús Corona (USD$1,511 / MXN$27,832), and Dorlan Pabón (USD$1,209 / MXN$22,266) – together with Gignac – are the five highest-paid football players in Mexico.

Close to 15 male players in Mexico earn over a million of dollars per year , which places Mexican football league (Liga MX ) among the highest-paying football leagues in the continent, only behind the Major League Soccer (MLS) .

Overall, women's national football teams worldwide have been pushing for equal pay.

In Denmark , the women's national team made their discontent known by refusing to play a friendly against Netherlands. They managed to reach a "partial agreement" with the Danish Football Association (DBU) ahead of a 2019 Women's World Cup qualifier.

Norway

also had a situation regarding gender pay gap which ended when the Norweigan FA announced it would double its fixed payments to the women's national team, among other arrangements.

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