Indians call out massive gender pay gap in cricket
What's the story
Indian male cricketers will be paid 14 times more money than the females, as per the new contracts announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday. This shining example of gender pay gap a day before International Women's Day was not lost on netizens who took to Twitter to slam BCCI for such blatant discrimination. Read on for more.
Gender bias
Men to get Rs. 7 crore, women Rs. 50 lakh
Star players in the men's team will now make Rs. 7 crore per year. However, top women cricketers will get only Rs. 50 lakh. The pay gap hurts all the more in the light of the recent brilliant performances by the women's team, including making it to the 2017 World Cup final against England.
Reaction
Indian Twitter users lash out at BCCI
Though gender pay gap is nothing new in Indian cricket, it's time BCCI corrected its practices. Nikhil Mehra (@TweetinderKaul) tweeted, "Dear @BCCI please show your appreciation for women's cricket by reducing this appalling pay gap. And please negotiate contracts for telecast of their matches. We have an excellent team that a lot of us fans regret not being able to watch perform regularly."
Twitter Post
Yet another example of gender inequality
Tomorrow is international women's day. #IWD2018
— Chandramouli Dorai (@moulidorai) March 7, 2018
Gender pay gap perfectly explained by Board of Control for Cricket in India. #BCCI
Gender neutral pay equity is always a joke! pic.twitter.com/bL3MlifGBO
The debate
Twitter divided on BCCI's pay for players
However, some believe that the BCCI's remuneration isn't discriminatory at all, arguing that it is all about skill. They say that the men in blue play more matches, are more popular, and rake in a lot more advertising and moolah for the Board than the women do, and hence deserve more pay. How about fixing a per match salary to decide who deserves what?
Twitter Post
Remuneration justified, according to contribution
I am really up for equal pay for equal work but the pay gap in the Indian Cricket is justified. I mean clearly the men's team bring 5 times or more the revenue than the women's team. How could you even expect them to be paid equal then?
— Raj Singh (@Funkedyou) March 7, 2018