Women’s sport is drawing more attention, but compensation data points to a persistent gap. In 2024, the UFC paid $140.0 million in total prize money across events, while a 2023 study of pay in professional sport found women were paid about 20 to 30% less than men for similar athlete roles. This article breaks down how league economics and gender pay reporting requirements shape those differences across the sports workforce.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2019–20 UEFA Women’s Champions League, clubs could earn up to €1.1 million in total prize money (vs substantially higher totals in men’s UEFA Champions League)
- A 2023 study of pay in professional sport found a statistically significant gender wage gap: women were paid about 20–30% less than men on average for similar athlete labor categories (study estimates)
- 21.2% average gender pay gap in professional football (England) in 2022, with women earning 21.2% less per hour than men on average
- Women in the EU earned 13.0% less per hour than men on average in 2023 (Eurostat overall EU gender pay gap, used as benchmark for sports employment contexts)
- The U.S. Equal Pay Act covers pay discrimination on the basis of sex, requiring equal pay for equal work when jobs require equal skill, effort, and responsibility and are performed under similar working conditions
- In the UK, employers must be included in gender pay gap reporting if they have 250 or more employees
- In 2024, the UFC paid out total prize money of $140.0 million across its events (showing men’s combat sports pay scale; women’s roster pay is determined from the same revenue ecosystem)
- The NBA’s share of Basketball-Related Income (BRI) is governed by the 50% BRI split; player compensation is a function of revenues, which can be used to compare with WNBA revenue shares (WNBA is a separate league under different economics)
- The NBA’s 2024–25 salary cap was $142.0 million, indicating the vastly different revenue-to-pay environment that shapes pay gaps
- In the U.S., women were 34.5% of sports media and entertainment jobs in 2023 (labor representation benchmark)
- In the U.S., women’s sports participation was 18.6 million in 2022 (market/workforce supply benchmark tied to athlete labor and coaching pipelines)
- In 2020, women were 26% of coaches in the English Football Association coaching system (coaching pipeline representation benchmark)
- In a 2023 UNESCO report, 29% of sports journalists surveyed were women (journalism representation affects coverage and sponsorship visibility for women’s sport)
- In 2022, Women’s sports accounted for 0.6% of sports media coverage in a study of broadcast and online news coverage (coverage benchmark for pay and sponsorship)
- A 2023 ESPN survey found that 46% of respondents said women’s sports coverage has improved in the last 5 years (media attention context)
Despite equal labor protections, women in sports still earn roughly 20 to 30 percent less than men.
Related reading
01 · Category
Pay Gap Measurement4 stats
01
In the 2019–20 UEFA Women’s Champions League, clubs could earn up to €1.1 million in total prize money (vs substantially higher totals in men’s UEFA Champions League)
02
A 2023 study of pay in professional sport found a statistically significant gender wage gap: women were paid about 20–30% less than men on average for similar athlete labor categories (study estimates)
03
21.2% average gender pay gap in professional football (England) in 2022, with women earning 21.2% less per hour than men on average
04
7.5% median gender pay gap across Women's Super League clubs (UK) in 2022, based on statutory gender pay gap reporting
Interpretation
Pay Gap Measurement Interpretation
In pay gap measurement across professional sport, the figures point to a persistent disparity where women earn around 20 to 30% less than men in similar athlete roles and football in England shows a 21.2% average hourly gap in 2022, alongside a 7.5% median gap reported across Women’s Super League clubs.
02 · Category
Policy & Enforcement6 stats
01
Women in the EU earned 13.0% less per hour than men on average in 2023 (Eurostat overall EU gender pay gap, used as benchmark for sports employment contexts)
02
The U.S. Equal Pay Act covers pay discrimination on the basis of sex, requiring equal pay for equal work when jobs require equal skill, effort, and responsibility and are performed under similar working conditions
03
In the UK, employers must be included in gender pay gap reporting if they have 250 or more employees
04
France’s “index” system on gender equality uses a 0–100 point score framework; companies scoring below the threshold must take corrective action
05
In Spain, companies with 50+ employees must prepare and implement a pay register (registro retributivo) for equal pay compliance under the equality law requirements
06
In the U.S., the Paycheck Fairness Act (proposed federal equal-pay enforcement bill) would strengthen equal-pay protections (shows ongoing policy focus on pay equity in employment)
Interpretation
Policy & Enforcement Interpretation
Across key jurisdictions, pay equity enforcement is tightening with requirements that mirror the wider gap, such as the EU’s 13.0% average hourly difference in 2023, alongside mandatory reporting and corrective actions in countries like the UK, France, and Spain and ongoing U.S. efforts to strengthen federal equal-pay protections.
03 · Category
League Economics8 stats
01
In 2024, the UFC paid out total prize money of $140.0 million across its events (showing men’s combat sports pay scale; women’s roster pay is determined from the same revenue ecosystem)
02
The NBA’s share of Basketball-Related Income (BRI) is governed by the 50% BRI split; player compensation is a function of revenues, which can be used to compare with WNBA revenue shares (WNBA is a separate league under different economics)
03
The NBA’s 2024–25 salary cap was $142.0 million, indicating the vastly different revenue-to-pay environment that shapes pay gaps
04
The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) collective bargaining and litigation highlighted a pay dispute that ended with a 2022 agreement including guaranteed minimum pay and parity commitments for players
05
In 2023, USWNT players earned $4 million in prize money from qualifying for the 2023 Women’s World Cup (direct earnings benchmark for tournament pay structures)
06
The 2023 Women’s World Cup prize money totaled $152 million, with FIFA publishing the distribution (tournament economics for women’s football pay)
07
The 2022 Men’s World Cup prize money totaled $440 million, demonstrating a large scale difference in tournament economics (used for pay-gap context)
08
The NBA’s 2023–24 regular season included 82 games per team, affecting player earning opportunities and revenue generation
Interpretation
League Economics Interpretation
League economics shows up clearly in the pay gap pattern, with 2024 UFC prize money of $140.0 million, a 2023 Women’s World Cup prize pool of $152 million versus $440 million for the 2022 Men’s World Cup, and NBA salary structures tied to a 50% revenue share and a $142.0 million 2024–25 cap that can sharply differ from women’s leagues built on separate revenue ecosystems.
04 · Category
Market & Workforce4 stats
01
In the U.S., women were 34.5% of sports media and entertainment jobs in 2023 (labor representation benchmark)
02
In the U.S., women’s sports participation was 18.6 million in 2022 (market/workforce supply benchmark tied to athlete labor and coaching pipelines)
03
In 2020, women were 26% of coaches in the English Football Association coaching system (coaching pipeline representation benchmark)
04
In Canada, women earned 90 cents for every $1earned by men in 2022 (official gender wage gap benchmark)
Interpretation
Market & Workforce Interpretation
Across the sports market and workforce, women remain underrepresented and lower paid, with only 34.5% of US sports media and entertainment jobs in 2023 and US women earning just 90 cents for every $1 earned by men in Canada in 2022, alongside smaller pipeline shares like 26% of England’s football coaches in 2020 and 18.6 million women participating in US sports in 2022.
More related reading
05 · Category
Media & Participation4 stats
01
In a 2023 UNESCO report, 29% of sports journalists surveyed were women (journalism representation affects coverage and sponsorship visibility for women’s sport)
02
In 2022, Women’s sports accounted for 0.6% of sports media coverage in a study of broadcast and online news coverage (coverage benchmark for pay and sponsorship)
03
A 2023 ESPN survey found that 46% of respondents said women’s sports coverage has improved in the last 5 years (media attention context)
04
A study published in 2021 in the Journal of Sport Management found gender gaps in broadcasting: women’s events receive fewer prime-time slots than men’s events (quantified difference in scheduling windows)
Interpretation
Media & Participation Interpretation
For the Media and Participation angle, women’s visibility in sports media remains limited, with only 0.6% of sports coverage going to women’s sport in 2022 even though 46% of ESPN survey respondents say coverage has improved over the past five years and women are just 29% of sports journalists in 2023.
06 · Category
Revenue & Economics1 stats
01
45% of women in sport reported that they have fewer or less consistent sponsorship opportunities than men (survey finding, 2021)
Interpretation
Revenue & Economics Interpretation
In the revenue and economics landscape of sport, 45% of women report having fewer or less consistent sponsorship opportunities than men, showing a clear earnings pipeline gap tied to commercial funding.
07 · Category
Leadership & Coaching1 stats
01
33% of head coaching positions in women’s leagues are held by women in 2022 (league staffing study, 2022)
Interpretation
Leadership & Coaching Interpretation
In the Leadership and Coaching arena, women held 33% of head coaching roles in women’s leagues in 2022, showing that leadership positions are still not evenly distributed.
08 · Category
Policy & Compliance2 stats
01
1.3% of total equity investment in sports startups in 2022 went to women-founded teams (startup funding analysis, 2022)
02
2.4x increase in the number of countries adopting gender pay transparency laws since 2016 (global policy tracking, 2022)
Interpretation
Policy & Compliance Interpretation
Policy and compliance in sports is gaining momentum as the number of countries adopting gender pay transparency laws has increased by 2.4 times since 2016, yet only 1.3% of total equity investment in sports startups in 2022 went to women-founded teams.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Gender Pay Gap In Sports Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-pay-gap-in-sports-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Gender Pay Gap In Sports Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gender-pay-gap-in-sports-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Gender Pay Gap In Sports Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gender-pay-gap-in-sports-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+3 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)