On March 30, five members of the United States Women's National Soccer team filed a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination. Those included in the case were top female players Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, and Alex Morgan.

A study featured by Business Insider reported specific statistics demonstrating the immense wage disparity between the men's and women's teams. The chart, which is based on a 20-game season, shows that if all 20 games in a season are won, the men's team will receive $263,320 and the women's team will receive $99,000 (including bonuses). If all 20 games are lost, the men's team will receive $100,000 and the women's team will receive $72,000. These numbers are drawn from 20 international teams and based on average minimum earnings requirements. So, even if a women's team wins all of their games and the men's team loses all of their games, the women's team will still make about the same amount of money (or, in some cases, less).

The article also showed statistics on World Cup earnings: first place bonuses for men came out to be around $390,265, and for women, a mere $75,000. For second place, $260,417 for men and $32,500 for women. These numbers are especially concerning for the U.S. Women's team, considering that they have won the World Cup three times, while the U.S. Men's team has never even won. The women's team also has four Olympic championships.

Solo stated in an interview that the men's players "get paid more to just show up than we get paid to win major championships." Some officials responded by stating that the reasoning behind the disparity is due to the revenue that the players generate. Regardless, looking specifically at the U.S. Women's team, their reputable success should be leading to better employee treatment. However, when the players questioned this and asked for more fair treatment in wages, the federation called it "an irrational request." The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this year, but in the meantime, members of the team are arguing that this contract is already void. In a system where money and marketing trumps equality and success, it is hard to say when actual change will take place in soccer for women.

Facts compiled from nytimes.com, businessinsider.com, and wsj.com.