Analysing the state of equal pay in German professional football

The media coverage of the Women’s World Football Cup earlier this year brought into focus the controversy surrounding the pay gap between female football players and male football players in the international arena.

Status Quo in Germany

A gender pay gap exists amongst footballers in Germany too: The women playing football in the first division of the German Bundesliga earn on average 3,500 EUR/month.[1] Men's pay in the first division of the Bundesliga tends to be confidential but is understood to range from 30,000 EUR/month to as high as 500,000 EUR/month when add-ons such as appearance and win bonuses are accounted for.[2] Political debates aside, this article considers the employment-law perspective on gender pay gaps in football, particularly the first division of the Bundesliga.