Australian cricketer Beth Mooney raises concern over gender pay parity. The 30-year-old cricketer is all set to return to The Hundred after a year-long absence.
Mooney will represent the Manchester Originals franchise in The Hundred. She was bought by the franchise for 50,000 GBP. The Manchester Originals went all out for her in the purchase and booked her for 50,000 GBP. Moreover, she is also among the highest purchases in The Hundred for women. Despite the substantial increase from the previous year’s sum of 31,250 GBP, Beth Mooney expressed her distress by advocating equal pay for both men and women in international competitions.
The Men Obviously Bring A Lot Of Revenue: Beth Mooney
Beth Mooney anticipates that the women’s cricket players should make 125,000 GBP, the same amount as the elite men’s wage in The Hundred. Notably, the batter makes 200,000 GBP in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), a substantial amount more than she does in the England’s premier tournament. However, Beth Mooney acknowledged the exposure, supporting fans, and the quality of the tournament, and she is certainly pleased with them all. In addition, she also mentioned how great of an opportunity it is for women’s cricket. However, she is disappointed with the fact that there is a gender pay gap in competition, as men still get paid more than women.
“I’m not sure it’s quite equal billing, because the men still get paid more. But yeah, in terms of the exposure, and the fan base, and the quality of the tournament, it’s certainly up there with one of the best going around. It’s doing a great job with getting more opportunities for women in this country to play cricket but, as with any women’s sport, we’re not quite there with equal billing”
Furthermore, Beth Mooney stated she doesn’t know if pay parity is an achievable goal. Justifying her statement, she pointed out the revenue generated by the viewership of men’s cricket. However, she was also rooting for pushing the envelope a little. Beth Mooney further said that it’s crucial to continue holding the ICC and individual country boards accountable by asking the right questions. Moreover, she said that our priority should be to increase female participation in the sport while ensuring equal opportunities for women across countries. She said,
“I don’t know if it’s quite an achievable goal. The men obviously bring in a lot of revenue across the world, in terms of the viewership and the broadcast and things like that, so the remuneration piece is always a bit of a tough one. But we’ve got to keep pushing the boundaries a bit,”
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