MEXICO CITY, Nov 15 (Reuters) – Mexican Senate committees on Wednesday backed a proposal to create fairer pay conditions for women in sports by banning pay discrimination based on gender or other grounds, including disability.
The bill, which still needs to pass the Senate and be debated in the lower house of Congress, would set a base salary for female athletes in sports like football, where men typically earn far more than women.
The measure was passed at committee level with the support of the ruling left-wing National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) and the center-left opposition Citizens’ Movement (MC).
The aim of the bill is to “protect the employment rights of professional athletes and create equal basic pay for women and men in sports,” according to a statement from the Senate.
It also applies to athletes with disabilities and prohibits discrimination based on other criteria such as race, social status and religion.
It was not clear how the bill would be put into practice if passed.
In the top division of the Mexican soccer league, men receive an average monthly salary of 643,000 pesos ($37,185.47), compared to 3,700 pesos per month for their female counterparts, according to the proposed law.
However, the Senate statement also noted that the head of the Mexican Women’s Soccer League, Mariana Gutierrez, has expressed concerns about the cost of the initiative.
($1 = 17.2917 Mexican pesos)
Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Tom Hogue
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