US Women superstar Megan Rapinoe renewed her call for equal pay on Wednesday and has vowed to 'carry the torch' with her teammates.
Rapinoe spoke in front of a congress panel and told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform herself and her teammates had achieved more than their male counterparts.
Advert
The US Women won the 2019 World Cup and it saw them file a lawsuit against US Soccer on the grounds of gender discrimination.
Rapinoe stated in her written testimony on Equal Pay Day per Sky Sports: "There is no level of status, accomplishments, or power that will protect you from the clutches of inequity.
Advert
"The women's national team has won four World Cup championships and four Olympic gold medals on behalf of our country. We have filled stadiums, broken viewing records, and sold out jerseys, all popular metrics by which we are judged."
Later on Wednesday saw the 35-year-old deliver another powerful speech in front of President Joe Biden.
She once again touched on the gender pay gap while also addressing everyday sexism women have to face.
"I've been devalued, I've been disrespected and dismissed because I am a woman. I've been told that I don't deserve any more than less because I am a woman," Rapinoe said.
Advert
"Despite all the wins, I'm still paid less than men who do the same job that I do. For each trophy, of which there are many, and for each win, for each tie and for each time that we play, it's less.
"I know there are millions of people who are marginalised by gender in the world, and experience the same thing in their jobs.
"And I know there are people who experience even more, where the layers of discrimination continue to stack against them. And I and my teammates are here for them. We on the women's national team today are here because of them."
Advert
The Reign forward also appeared at the Oversight Committee's Equal Pay Day hearing and delivered another message.
"What we've learned, and what we continue to learn, is there's no level of status and there's no accomplishment or power that will protect you from the clutches of inequality," Rapinoe said.
Advert
"One cannot simply outperform inequality or be excellent enough to escape discrimination of any kind.
"The United States Women's National Team has won four World Cup championships and four Olympic gold medals on behalf of our country. We have filled stadiums, broken viewing records and sold out jerseys - all of the popular metrics by which we are judged.
"Yet despite all of this, we are still paid less than our male counterparts. For each trophy, for each win, for each tie, for each time we play... less.
"And if that can happen to us, to me, with the brightest lights shining on us at all times, it can and it does happen to every person who is marginalised by gender.
"You want stadiums filled? We filled them. You want role models for your kids, for your boys and your girls, and your little trans kids? We have that.
"You want us to be respectful? You want us to perform on the world stage? You want us to take the stars and stripes across the entire globe and represent America in the best way possible?
"We've done all of that. And simply, there's no reason why we're underpaid, with the exception of gender."
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Football, Megan Rapinoe
