India’s cricket board announced that the country’s women?international cricketers?will receive the same match fee as the men, ushering in a “new era of gender equality” in the country’s favorite sport.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the announcement in response to growing pressure in sport generally to lessen the frequently enormous discrepancies in compensation.
Match fees are distinct from annual pay packages, where there are significant wage disparities between Indian men and women.
Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, tweeted, “We are establishing pay-equity policy for our contracted @BCCIWomen cricketers,” calling it the “first step towards combating discrimination.”
As we enter a new era of gender equality in cricket, Shah announced, “the match fee will be the same for both men and women cricketers.”
The wage announcement was dubbed a “historic decision for women’s cricket in India” by former Indian women’s captain Mithali Raj.
“We are embarking in a new era for women’s cricket in India… extremely happy today,” she tweeted.
A Historic Milestone
India continues to be a very conventional, patriarchal society despite significant advances, with far fewer women in official work than men.
Players will now receive $18,000 (1.5 million Indian rupees) every Test, $7,288 (600,000 Indian rupees) for international one-day matches, and $3,644 (300,000 Indian rupees) for international T20 matches.
According to media reports, women’s participation in Test matches has increased by almost four times, in ODIs it has increased by six times, and in T20 it has increased by three times.
Because of their higher annual retainers and the fact that they play a lot more matches each year than the women, India’s men will still make a lot more money overall.