VOA文化艺术2022--美国女子足球运动员达成同工同酬协议

American Women Soccer Players Reach Deal over Equal Pay

Professional soccer players in the United States have reached an historic¹ agreement with the sport's governing body. The deal marks the end of a six-year legal battle over equal pay for male and female players.

The deal promises female players $24 million plus bonuses that are equal to what male soccer players receive. A "bonus" is extra money given to players for doing well at major competitions.

The U.S. Soccer Federation², or USSF, and the women announced the deal Tuesday. The women will divide $22 million, about one-third of what they had sought in damages. The USSF also agreed to establish a separate fund of $2 million. The money will be used to support players after their careers end as well as help grow the sport of women's soccer.

The USSF promised to provide an equal rate of pay for the women's and men's national teams — including World Cup bonuses.

"For our generation, knowing that we're going to leave the game in an exponentially better place than when we found it is everything," soccer player Megan Rapinoe told The Associated Press. "That's what it's all about because, to be honest, there is no justice in all of this if we don't make sure it never happens again."

USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone³ said: "This is just one step towards rebuilding the relationship with the women's team."

Cone became head of the federation in March 2020. She replaced Carlos Cordeiro as president. He resigned after the federation claimed in court that women players had less physical ability and responsibilities than male players. The USSF was fighting a sex discrimination case brought by members of the U.S. national women's team.

Cone is a two-time champion of Olympic soccer. She is the USSF's first female president.

The U.S. women's team entered play in 1985. It has won four World Cups since. The U.S. men's soccer team has been far less successful. The men have not reached a semifinal match since 1930.

Five American soccer stars, led by Alex Morgan and Rapinoe, began the legal action. Their efforts started with a complaint to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission⁴ in April 2016. Women sued⁵ three years later, seeking damages under the federal Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Morgan called the agreement "gratifying," or pleasing. She expressed hope for healing the relationship between the women's team and USSF. "To finally get to this moment feels like we can almost sigh a breath of relief," she said.

The $22 million will be divided into individual amounts proposed by the players.

Cone said the federation's method of equalizing World Cup bonuses is yet to be decided⁶. The federation has until now based bonuses on payments from soccer's international governing body, FIFA. The group set aside $400 million for the 2018 men's tournament, including $38 million to the winning team from France. By comparison, it set aside $30 million for the 2019 women's tournament, including $4 million to the winning U.S. team.

Words in This Story

fund - n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose

exponentially - adj. very fast : increasingly rapid

relief - n. a pleasant and relaxed feeling that someone has when something unpleasant stops or does not happen

1 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

3 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

4 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

5 sued   

v.（为要求赔偿损失而）起诉( sue的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；请求；要求（尤用于法庭）

参考例句：

• The company sued for defamation. 这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。
• He sued the newspaper for libel. 他起诉那家报社犯有诽谤罪。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。