Male Vs. Female Prize Money in Tennis
Women have come closer to earning more money than men who work the same jobs, but there is still a discrepancy in some positions. Sports have been slow to reward female athletes the same as men, often because they don't participate in the same competition. Tennis is a sport where men and women are doing the same job most of the time (men do play more sets in Grand Slam event matches), but as of 2010 they still don't always get the same prize money.
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Grand Slam Events
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There are only four of the prestigious Grand Slam events each year. Prize money in these tournaments was historically higher for men. In 1973, the U.S. Open started giving male and female winners the same amount. It took until 2000, however, for the Australian Open to offer equal prize money. Roland Garros (the French Open) and Wimbledon finally began giving equal prize money to men and women in 2007.
ATP vs. WTA Events
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The Association of Tennis Professionals was formed in 1972 and has since become the organization overseeing men's professional tennis. Billie Jean King formed the Women's Tennis Association in 1973, looking to obtain equal prize money for women. The organization still remains the governing body of women's professional tennis. Not all tennis tournaments have both ATP and WTA events. Some of the top events that do--BNP Paribas Open, Sony Ericsson Open and the Mutua Madrilena Open--offer the same prize money for both sexes, but other events on the WTA Tour do not offer women equal purses to those on the ATP Tour.
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ITF Professional Circuit
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The International Tennis Federation governs more than 200 national associations that operate tennis events around the world for men and women. Since all events fall into a total prize money category (from $10,000 to $100,000) there is a standard for paying each player--regardless of sex--depending on where the player finishes at the tournament. As of 2010, most ITF Pro Circuit tournaments around the world run events for just men or women, though, so there is no direct comparison.
USTA Professional Circuit
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The United States Tennis Association Professional Circuit is the largest national circuit in the world. As of 2010, tournaments run at the $10,000, $25,000 and $75,000 (there is only one $100,000 event, which is for both men and women). Prize money on the USTA Professional Circuit can vary depending on the tournament, its sponsors and its level. There are more men's events than women's, but the pay is consistent for both males and females.
Considerations
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At the Grand Slam events, as well as some top tier ATP events, men need to win three out of five sets to capture a match in comparison with two out of three for women. The argument against equal pay in all tournaments has been that women aren't working as hard. The WTA has stated that women would be willing to play the longer matches if that is what was needed to guarantee them equal pay at all events.
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References
- Photo Credit Tennis ball and the shadow of tennis net image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com
