Equal pay in professional surfing
In September 2018 the World Surf League announced that from the 2019 season men and women would receive equal prize money at every event it controls. It was one of the first US-based global sports leagues to do so.
Before the change
Prize purses for women were often a fraction of men's. In some events the winner of the women's division received less than a man who finished in the early rounds. Sponsors pointed to audience numbers; athletes pointed to the lack of airtime given to women.
Why it happened
- sustained campaigning by athletes, including big wave surfers;
- public attention after a viral photo of unequal prize cheques at a junior event in South Africa in 2018;
- broader movements for pay equity in football, tennis and other sports.
What is still unequal
Prize money is only part of income. Sponsorship contracts, media exposure and contest invitations still vary widely, and many big wave events sit outside any league's rules.