'Leveling the Playing Field: The Gender Pay Gap in Sports'

Join the Lisska Center as we converse with a panel on “Leveling the Playing Field: The Gender Pay Gap in Sports.” Discussion will be moderated by Diana Mafe of the Lisska Center.

The gender pay gap in sports continues to generate headlines, whether through ongoing WNBA negotiations, the absence of women on annual lists of the 100 highest paid athletes in the world, or the fact that salaries and endorsement deals have not kept pace with the increasing popularity and success of female athletes and teams. Competitions like March Madness, the Olympics, and the FIFA World Cup further highlight disparities in training facilities, recognition, and prize money. Why does this gap persist and, by some measures, continue to widen? What changes are needed to facilitate gender pay equity across professional sports? And is “leveling the playing field” an attainable goal? Join us for a roundtable discussion with three expert colleagues followed by audience Q&A. 

About our panel…

Zarrina Juraqulova is associate professor and J.P. Morgan Chase Professor of Economics and Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Denison University. She also holds affiliations with Finance, Global Health, International Studies, Data Analytics, and Data for Political Research. As an applied economist, her research primarily focuses on the economic analysis of gender issues, the academic labor market, intra-household bargaining power, reproductive healthcare, and care issues in post-Soviet Central Asian regions. 

Sara Lee is professor of Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies, Deputy Director of Athletics, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator at Denison University. She has served as the head women’s basketball coach and head volleyball coach, setting records in both of those roles, and she remains one of Denison’s winningest coaches. 

Lauren Secaras is assistant professor of Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies at Denison University, where she teaches courses on the history and organization of sport in the US, youth sports in the US, and the psychology of sport. She is a Denison alumna and former student athlete who double majored in communication and psychology and served as a captain of the softball team. Her research interests include intra-team conflict in sport, program evaluation, and coaching. She is also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and works with athletes, teams, and coaches to build mental skills that help improve performance.