Mike's Minute: Politics at the World Cup already

The FIFA Women's World Cup hasn’t even begun and the Matildas have managed to work in the politics already. They are not happy with pay. They want more prize money and they want more pay and so they've made a video. You might remember they also made a video about human rights in Qatar when they won the hosting rights. On their side is the fact their opening game is sold out. Also on their side is the fact that football, globally, is the biggest sport going and it's worth a fortune. Sadly, not on their side is their premise. Their premise is they should be paid what men are, simply because they are women. Gender is the mistake that fuels their debate. Gender is the complexity in the argument that has seen a disproportionate amount of attention paid to a broader debate around women in sport, or women in the workplace, or women in the boardroom. The sadness is that a lot of appointments made involving women are trumpeted as being a first for women, thus giving a greater emphasis on the gender than on the skill that got them there. Are they there because they are women or because they are the best person for the job? The new Reserve Bank Governor of Australia was hailed last week as the first woman to ever lead the bank. That's brilliant. But what about the skill, dedication and experience that got her that job in the first place? Why did gender trump everything else? Some jobs, and this is another complexity, do pay the same and gender has nothing to do with it. Being an MP pays the same no matter who it is. In fact it pays the same no matter what the experience or talent involved is, thus proving that not all mechanisms for reward are sensible. In professional sport the general criteria is demand. Demand is based on broadcasting rights, ticket sales and a measure of marketability. That’s why some sports are worth more than others, whether it be the value of a team or the value of a player. You can mix in individual circumstances occasionally, in a right place, right time sort-of punt on talent that may provide dividends at a later date. But generally the market is clear - people get what a sport, or a team, or a player is worth. And gender is far from the sole determinant and that is why it should not be used as a bargaining chip. Or indeed a political statement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.