Female athletes get less respect and less reward — many earn under $25,000. But that 'outrage' may be prime for change

Nevermind that U.S. female athletes earned more gold and total medals than their male counterparts at these Olympics — a trend that goes back six consecutive Summer and Winter Games, according to Just Women’s Sports (1). There was no news of a congratulatory presidential call to the women’s team prior to their victory becoming a punchline for the men. Meanwhile, there were reports the women flew home commercially, while the guys travelled by charter plane (2).

The women’s hockey team ultimately declined a White House invite, but some members accepted one from legendary rapper Flava Flav, who offered to throw a Las Vegas bash for U.S. female Olympians and Paralympians, declaring: “It’s all about women’s sports, baby! (3)”

And while it’s a heartwarming epilogue to the story, it also highlights the disparity in perception between men’s and women’s sports — one that invariably extends to their pay.

Male and female athlete incomes aren't in the same ballpark

Flav sponsored the women’s bobsled and skeleton teams at the 2026 Winter Games and the women’s water polo team at the 2024 Summer Games. Maggie Steffens, the water polo team captain, previously noted on social media that she and many other Olympic athletes — especially female athletes — hold down “a 2nd (or 3rd) job to support chasing the dream (myself included!) (4).”

Any financial boost is welcome, as U.S. Olympians don’t receive federal funding. This leaves many of them reliant on supplemental income like sponsorships, according to The Wall Street Journal (5). Last year, billionaire Ross Stevens donated $100 million to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, guaranteeing $200,000 to each American competitor and their families at later stages in their life.

But such an equal distribution of funds is rare, including in professional sports.

A study of 2022 data by The Collective, a marketing and research group aimed at promoting women’s sports, found that while female pro athletes depend twice as much on sponsorship money as male athletes, the men received 90% of the sponsorship dollars (6).

“The gender pay gap in professional sports is an outrage. More than an outrage, it’s downright embarrassing,” Caroline Fitzgerald, founder of women’s sports marketing consultancy GOALS, wrote for female-focused advocacy group Parity (7). She also referenced a 2024 Parity survey that found 58% of female athletes earned $25,000 or less annually from their sport (8).

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that exactly zero women ranked among Sportico’s list of 100 highest paid athletes in 2025, which estimated player earnings and endorsements (9). American tennis superstar Coco Gauff, 2025’s highest-paid female athlete, earned $31 million — over $6 million less than No. 100 on the list.

Comparing salaries can get complicated, but the gender pay gap is no less apparent in many cases. For example, the minimum pay for a National Hockey League (NHL) player is presently $775,000 over an 82-game season, while the highest-paid Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) players reportedly earn around $100,000 over 30 games (10). Athletes from both leagues represented the U.S. on the ice at the Olympics.

According to The Collective, on average, men earn 21 times more in playing salary than women.

While women’s sports don’t earn the revenue of men’s sports, a popular argument used to justify lower athlete pay, Fitzgerald asserted that “women’s sports have not received proper financial, media or marketing support, yet the product of women’s sports has historically been blamed for the lack of business results.”

This, she says, despite the huge success of many women’s sporting events — such as the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which reached two billion in total media engagement, the soccer governing body announced (11).

“Society has long undervalued women’s labor, whether it’s in boardrooms, hospitals or in sports,” she added. “Yet, when given equal investment and attention, women’s sports thrive.”

Forging a league of their own

To Fitzgerald’s point, women’s pro sports are rapidly growing thanks to new investment and attention. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and PWHL are all expanding. Meanwhile, multiple new women’s leagues, including the Women's Lacrosse League (WLL), League One Volleyball (LOVB Pro) and Unrivaled — a three-on-three basketball league — all launched within the last few years.

As well, a 2025 report from SponsorUnited, a media data firm, found that women’s sports outpaced men’s leagues for sponsorship growth year over year, thanks in part to “the influence of individual world-class talents” like U.S. Open tennis champ Sloane Stephens and WNBA players Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese (12).

And that growth is, in part, thanks to breaking new ground with non-traditional sponsors like feminine care brands, jewelry, fertility clinics, beauty brands and even Barbie.