Equal match fee a good first step

The recent decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to implement parity in match fees between men and women cricket players is an important step towards achieving gender parity in the game. All centrally contracted players will now receive equal amounts as match fee. Women players who till now were paid Rs 1 lakh for a white-ball match and Rs 4 lakh for a Test match will now be paid Rs 15 lakh for a Test, Rs 6 lakh for a one-day match and Rs 3 lakh for a T20 international. Match fees are only a part of the income of a player, but equal official payment is a sign of equal treatment. The decision should have come earlier than now. It was taken now perhaps because women’s cricket has become more visible and attracted greater attention in recent times. India’s women cricketers recently won the Asia Cup and secured silver in the Commonwealth Games. Some of the women cricketers are household names now. There are many aspiring girls who want to make a mark in the game.

The principle of equal pay for equal work has not worked in sports. India is only the second country after New Zealand to announce equal remuneration for women cricket players. The disparity in payment exists in most other games. Tennis has some parity in payment between men and women in the Grand Slam games, but in most other games, men earn more than women. Such uneven treatment is wrong and unfair because in skills, hard work, competitiveness, and dedication, women are not in any way behind men. There are other means to promote parity, too, and they should all be explored. The BCCI’s plan to start a women’s IPL is also welcome because that can give a boost to women’s cricket and bring better professional and financial rewards for women. Ideally it should lead to a stage where there is no men’s or women’s cricket but just cricket.

Equal treatment for women is necessary to encourage girls and women to take up sports. While equal payment gives motivation, there are other factors also that influence the participation of women in sports. Sports is not considered the right vocation for girls in many sections of society. Safety is sometimes considered a problem and facilities for training and for personal needs are not often available. The general ecosystem has to be made more gender-friendly for better participation by women. Equal pay is a beginning. It should be followed up with other measures that will not only close the gender pay gap but also bring parity in other respects.