Dipika Pallikal, India’s top-ranked squash player has opted out of the ongoing National Squash Championship, citing disproportionate prize rewards for male and female champions. Her ire is due to the fact that the men’s champion will pocket Rs 1,20,000 and women Rs. 50,000, less than half of what is offered to the men.
Sports has traditionally been a male-dominated terrain. The handful of women athletes who do become successful are still facing discrimination at various levels. Offering lower rewards to female athletes is only sending out the wrong signal that no matter how hard you train, your achievements aren’t worth and don’t match that of male athletes.
The matter of equal pay is not just confined to sports in India. Bollywood is still far behind as far as equal wages is concerned. A-list actresses such as Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif get paid a tenth of what the male stars are paid per film.
Equal pay is a global issue. According to statistics released by the White House, full-time working American women earn 77% of what their male counterparts do.
Breaking the glass ceiling is no child’s play. Pallikal might not have Herculean shoulders. What she does have, is the will to fight for what is right. But looks like the burden seems to be her’s alone to bear. Many have lashed out against the player, citing the good old ‘playing-for-the-country’ adage. Women who accept lower pay for equal work are making the situation worse for others by encouraging a discriminatory system. It’s a matter of national concern that an athlete who is ranked 18 on the World Squash Association rankings has to abstain from participation in the national tournament for the fourth year in a row to make a statement. But a strong stance such as Dipika’s is the need of the hour to get the voices against discriminatory gender based remuneration to be heard loud and clear across the corridors of power.
Image Courtesy: BCCL
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