III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 462 

Urging the United States Soccer Federation to immediately eliminate gender 

pay inequity and treat all athletes with the same respect and dignity. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 12, 2016 

Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. CASEY, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, 

Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. LEAHY, Mrs. BOXER, Ms. WARREN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. BROWN, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, 

Mr. MARKEY, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. REID, Mr. CARPER, Ms. 

STABENOW, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. BOOKER, and Mr. SCHATZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

MAY 26, 2016 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Urging the United States Soccer Federation to immediately 

eliminate gender pay inequity and treat all athletes with 

the same respect and dignity. 

Whereas title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 

U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) (referred to in this preamble as 

‘‘title IX’’) requires schools and institutions of higher 

education to provide the same opportunities for girls that 

the schools and institutions of higher education provide 

for boys; 


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SRES 462 ATS 

Whereas 6 years after the date of enactment of title IX, the 

approximate percentage of girls playing team sports increased from 4 percent to 25 percent, a sixfold increase; 

Whereas the participation of girls in club soccer in the United 

States increased by approximately 37 percent between 

1995 and 2015; 

Whereas the participation of girls in high school soccer programs increased by approximately 45 percent between 

1999 and 2014; 

Whereas the participation of girls in team sports results in 

lifelong improvements to the educational, work, and 

health prospects of the girls; 

Whereas the United States Soccer Federation is the governing body of soccer in all forms in the United States 

and endeavors to make soccer a preeminent sport in the 

United States; 

Whereas the United States Women’s National Team has won 

3 Federation Internationale de Football Association 

(commonly referred to as ‘‘FIFA’’) Women’s World 

Cups, 4 Olympic Gold Medals, and 7 Confederation of 

North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (commonly referred to as ‘‘CONCACAF’’) Gold 

Cups; 

Whereas the United States Women’s National Team is 

ranked first in the world as of the date of adoption of 

this resolution; 

Whereas the 2015 final Women’s World Cup match generated an audience of approximately 750,000,000 viewers 

worldwide and more than 25,000,000 viewers in the 

United States, the largest audience of any soccer game 


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SRES 462 ATS 

shown in the United States on English language television; 

Whereas the members of the United States Women’s National Team are some of the most visible athletes in the 

world and serve as an inspiration and as role models to 

young athletes across the United States and worldwide; 

Whereas the members of the United States Women’s National Team, despite the international success of the 

members, are consistently paid less than similarly situated members of the United States Men’s National Team 

for doing the same job, regardless of the performance of 

the teams; 

Whereas a woman in 1963 was paid on average only 59 cents 

for each dollar paid to a male counterpart; 

Whereas, in 1963, Congress passed and President Kennedy 

signed the landmark Equal Pay Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 

201 note; Public Law 88–38) (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘Equal Pay Act’’), unequivocally affirming 

that women deserve equal pay for equal work; 

Whereas the enactment of the Equal Pay Act laid the 

groundwork for title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 

(42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) and title IX, which together 

vastly expanded opportunities for girls and women at 

school and work; 

Whereas the pay disparities suffered by the members of the 

United States Women’s National Team are reflective of 

the reality of many women in the United States who, 

more than 50 years after the enactment of the Equal Pay 

Act, still make on average only 79 cents for each dollar 

made by a male counterpart; 


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Whereas those pay disparities exist in both the private and 

the public sectors and, in many instances, the pay disparities can only be due to continued intentional discrimination or the lingering effects of past discrimination; 

Whereas unequal pay on the basis of gender tells women and 

girls that, whether on the soccer field or in the office, the 

hard work of the women or girls is not valued equally to 

that of male counterparts; 

Whereas unequal pay on the basis of gender violates generally 

held beliefs regarding equality and fundamental fairness; 

Whereas the wage gap equals approximately $10,762 less per 

year in median earnings for women and their families 

compared to men; 

Whereas, compared to the earnings of White, non-Hispanic 

men, women on average face a lifetime wage gap of 

$430,480, African-American women on average face a 

lifetime wage gap of $877,480, and Latinas on average 

face a lifetime wage gap of $1,007,080; and 

Whereas unequal pay on the basis of gender threatens the 

economic security of women and their families while the 

women are in the workforce and the retirement security 

of women after the women have left the workforce: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) urges the United States Soccer Federation 

3 to immediately end gender pay inequity and to treat 

4 all athletes with the respect and dignity those ath5 letes deserve; 


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SRES 462 ATS 

1 (2) supports an end to pay discrimination based 

2 on gender and the strengthening of equal pay pro3 tections; and 

4 (3) instructs the Secretary of the Senate to 

5 submit a copy of this resolution to the United States 

6 Soccer Federation. 

Æ 


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