Ballito Pro event accused of being 'sexist' over pay disparity
The local surf competition has caused outrage after the male winner received R4,000 more than the female winner.
Jane caught up with Graham Stapleberg, who is the WSL (World Surf League) International Tour manager, then read more below;
For the past few days, my Facebook and email inbox have been inundated with complaints regarding this debacle. I must say I was astounded, but in saying that was reminded that forever and a day men have won more significant prize money. This could be a step in the right direction to shake the old mindset of not being paid on skillset, but rather on gender.
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Zoe Steyn's father, Roelf speaks out for the first time with Jane;
Rio Waida and Zoe Steyn claimed first place in the boys' and girls' 2018 Billabong Junior Series Ballito Pro event on Sunday.
The two were photographed with their prize winnings, and this is where the outrage was sparked. Rio earned R4,000 more for competing in the very same event.
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Earlier this year, Iceland made equal pay a law, but this case seems like something out of an episode of Mad Men, minus the three-piece suits and smoking indoors. On January 1, Iceland became the first country in the world to make it illegal to pay men more than women for doing the same job, an inequality that exists in almost every country.
This is momentous but when are other countries going to come to the table?! Even more importantly, when is South Africa going to come to the party?!
According to an article by Times Live, in South Africa, men make on average R6‚607.25 more than women per month – the sixth-largest pay gap in Africa. Algeria was recorded as the most uneven country when it comes to pay‚ while Liberia was found to have almost no difference in pay.
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Africa Check has confirmed that women earned 23% less than men. Wow!
Ballito Pro acknowledged the pay difference in a Facebook comment and have stated that "the World Surf League (WSL), determined the prize money."
The reaction from both men and women excites me as I think we are going to see good come out of this. Well, I certainly hope so...
They both surfed the same waves in the same heat so how can half the payment be justified?