Megan Rapinoe urges lawmakers to close gender pay gap: "We just have to want to"

Soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe said lawmakers should take immediate action to address the gender pay gap during a Wednesday hearing to mark Equal Pay Day. In 2021, March 24 marks how long women have to work on average to earn what their male counterparts did in 2020.

"There's no level of status and there's no accomplishment or power that will protect you from the clutches of inequality. One cannot simply outperform inequality or be excellent enough to escape discrimination of any kind," Rapinoe said. Rapinoe said she was participating in the House Oversight Committee hearing because she has experienced pay inequality first hand. The U.S. women's national team has won four World Cup championships and four Olympic gold medals — and set a record of 1.12 billion viewers for their 2019 Women's World Cup win, according to FIFA — but the team is still paid less than male counterparts. A federal judge dismissed the team's equal pay lawsuit last year. They've vowed to appeal.