Billabong and the World Surf League have faced criticism over the disparity in prize money between the male and female winners of a junior surfing tournament in South Africa.
The winners – Rio Waida from Indonesia and Zoe Steyn from South Africa – were pictured on the stage with oversized cheques, but Steyn’s at 4000 rand ($400) was half that of Waida’s.
The picture, which was shared by the organisers of the Ballito Pro on Twitter, immediately provoked condemnation.
Global #surfing brands pay girl surf champs half the prize money of the boys. When questioned, they still condone it. Serious lack of leadership from @billabong1973 @wsl @BOS @billabongwomens @SASurfing 😡 https://t.co/0OWa7aVlq9 #billabongJNR #BallitoPro pic.twitter.com/u4onDEaThe
— Meggie Palmer (@MeggiePalmer) June 27, 2018
And for those not in the know... this is the current conversation.
— Brent Lindeque (@BrentLindeque) June 27, 2018
Same ocean. Same boards. Same amount of difficulty. Same passion.
Different winnings. Like 50% difference.#GenderPayGap #BallitoPro pic.twitter.com/FPp3WRywpN
Why is the girl paid less than the boy? Again ........ merit? 😠@TheBallitoPro https://t.co/h5bZJYoM6o
— Emma Alberici (@albericie) June 28, 2018
The event organisers and Billabong both said the World Surf League determined the prize money and they were committed to gender equality.
“The Ballito Pro maintains its stance as a pro-gender equality competition, which is evident from the ongoing development of the women’s series year-on-year,” the organisers said. “Based on this commitment to equality, we are meeting with all relevant stakeholders to discuss how any potential discrepancies can be resolved.
“The World Surf League is the sanctioning body for WSL-aligned surfing events such as the Ballito Pro. The WSL implements certain criteria to determine surf ratings and prize money, and we have formally requested a detailed outline of this process for future discussion.”
Will Hayden-Smith, WSL’s regional manager, told the ABC in Australia that the photo of the winners “on first glance does look like a huge disparity”.
The issue at stake is the size of the prize-money pot per surfer. Since the WSL came into existence in 2014, prize money for men and women has been at parity, but the men’s pot is bigger because the male field is almost double the size. The idea is that the average take-home per surfer, male or female, from each event is roughly the same.
On Facebook, a post by the event organisers received more than 2,000 comments, mostly condemning the pay disparity.
Surfing South Africa’s general manager, Robin De Kock, told Cape Town radio it would fight against any unfair pay practices and that it was unusual for men and women to be paid differently at the amateur level.
“Women and men pay the same entry fee, so they should get the same prize money,” De Kock said. “We are not going to let this rest. It is an embarrassment to surfing.”
