We Absolutely Love the Way Secret Deodorant Is Addressing the Women's Soccer Wage Gap

Kimberly Zapata

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Earlier this month, the US women’s soccer team won their fourth World Cup title — a monumental achievement, as the USWNT has won more World Cup’s than any other country. But their win wasn’t without controversy. In fact, it brought to light a bigger issue: the teams ongoing fight for equal pay. The good news is that people are listening, and acting. Secret, a sponsor of the US Women’s soccer team, has vowed to make a “tangible commitment” to the team’s demand for equal pay by contributing $529,000 to the USWNT — the amount needed to close the gender pay gap between players on the women’s team and U.S. Men’s National Team.

News of the donation came on Sunday, when Secret printed a full-page ad in The New York Times. According to the ad, Secret plans to give $23,000 to each of the teams 23 players. They also urged the U.S. Soccer Federation to “be on the right side of history.”

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“Women just made history,” Secret wrote in the ad, “but after all the toasts, cheers, parades and awards subside, the issue [of inequality] remains… let’s take this moment of celebration to propel women’s sports forward. We urge the U.S. Soccer Federation to be a beacon of strength and end gender pay inequality once and for all, for all players.”

Many have taken to Twitter to praise Secret for their donation, including Abby Wambach, Katie Couric and current USWNT player Allie Long. Wambach noted this is a “big step in the right direction,” Couric was “proud” and Long vowed to be a life-long Secret customer.

And while Proctor & Gamble’s support is powerful and inspirational, it should have never come to this because women deserve equal pay for equal work. Period. End of discussion.

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