We are not children of a lesser God, ‘broke’ women players cry

Kenya Lioness fly half Grace Adhiambo in action during a past match. [Washington Onyango, Standard]

Though there are diverse factors which determine how pay should be calculated, there is need to address the shortfall women in sports get as they work equally hard as men. Ironically, in some instances, women teams and competitions draw larger fan bases than men.

Take the volleyball national team, Malkia Strikers. They have time and again flown the Kenyan flag high on the global stage, a feat yet to be attained by the men’s team. Thrown in the national women’s basketball team, who carved their own niche to qualify for the 2019 Afrobasket, which is the premier women’s continental competition.

It doesn’t end there. On the football front, Harambee Starlets were crowned 2019 CECAFA Women’s champions after beating host Tanzania 2-0. They were even the first to return to Africa Cup of Nations finals ahead of Harambee Stars. Starlet’s achievement was reached despite lack of a well-structured women league in Kenya compared to the men’s Kenya Premier League (KPL). Then there is Telkom hockey team, which brags of 10 continental club titles and having won their league since 1999.

One of the iconic figures associated with the success witnessed in women volleyball is middle blocker Trizah Atuka, who also plays for the Africa champions, Kenya Prisons.

“Female players are not children of a lesser god. I believe they put in as much effort as their male counterparts. If anything, women tend to perform and record excellent performances compared to men in some disciplines,” Atuka said.

It is a fact male sports tend to attract more fans compared to female competitions. To some extent, this might have played out to fan the imbalance in the pay structure in local leagues. 

Former CEO at the Kenya Rugby Union Sylvia Kamau Ocholla, who managed both men’s and women’s national teams had a contrary opinion. She said the remuneration should be based on the deliverables and Key Performers Indicators and not gender.

The disparity is not only witnessed in pay but in resource allocation for preparations as well, and with Sylvia’s experience in decision making position with Shujaa and Lionesses rugby teams, the line has never been grey on matters pay.

“The difference in resource allocation between the men’s team (Shujaa) and women (Lionesses) in rugby was purely based on each team’s level of participation. Shujaa, as a core team in the World Rugby Series, had a full calendar on the global circuit, which is a total of 10 mandatory tournaments, while the ladies participate only three tournaments, in a season, acting as qualifiers,” Kamau said.

Shujaa was the premium product KRU is identified with and the team’s exposure is immense. The rugby 15s side Simbas & Chipu (junior side) for men’s players have a relatively low remuneration package, which is based on the number of competitions they are engaged in.

Sports marketer Cynthia Mumbo believes more funds should be channelled towards bridging the gap between women and men leagues.

“Let there be investments made into women’s sport to encourage viewership and in turn build revenues that can sustain women’s pay being fair,” Cynthia said.

The erosion of patriarchal and chauvinistic society, which has been the biggest hindrance to women sports considering most managers have been men, will also help to fill the gap. Until recently, most women teams were managed by men, but this is being phased out as more women get into senior positions in sports leadership.

Cynthia, a former basketball player, says this relates well to her days as a player because the men always had the upper hand in decision making due to how the society was structured.

“I was required to be silent and “know my place.” Ever since the inception of sport, women have had a raw deal, from cultural perceptions to misogynistic attitudes. Women have always been looked down upon,” Cynthia added.

Cynthia, who is now a sports marketer, asserts that women can never be compared to men when it comes to strength and body structure. However, it is clearer men and women invest in sports equally through training, hard work and competitions.

Both genders take sports as their main career and should be paid as professionals. Cynthia noted that there should be a structure to distinguish pay based on experience and not gender.

“Sports administrators and marketers need to come up with ways of ensuring men and women sports are equally invested in, marketed and made attractive for all,” Cynthia said.

Cynthia is also calling on all federations to plan and market all their leagues to the highest bidder.

“Consistently market women’s sport and reward fans for engaging with women’s sport. The consistency will build revenues (other factors like governance and accountability considered) and we can have women earning a decent pay,” she added.

But Trizah Atuka argues that better structures must be incorporated to safeguard the interest of women in sport.

“Let the administrators have a proper mechanism in place for equal pay. And not just pay, but invest in preparation, planning and exposure of the women’s teams,” said Atuka.

But all is not lost. There’s hope in making equal pay a reality and a dream come true for women in sports and this can only be achieved through a collective effort and not just one gender fighting for the balance.

“I think women don’t demand their worth but instead rely on hand-outs. For example the one third gender rule. Invest in high-performance culture in the women and continuity of the life span of a female athlete,” said Sylvia Kamau.?