EQUAL OPPORTUNITy
WHAT WE DO...
- EMPOWERING WOMEN AND CHILDREN THROUGH SQUASH
- PROMOTING EQUAL PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES
- ADVOCATING FOR EQUAL EXPOSURE AND PRIZE MONEY
HOW ARE WE ADVOCATING FOR EQUALITY?
One of our main aims is to make squash a sustainable career choice for men and women. We’ve focused our efforts on making the sport equal, this includes pushing for equal prize money, exposure and finding ways to boost women’s participation.
Squash can make a difference, we’re working hard to make sure the world knows just how inclusive and progressive it is.
GETTING WOMEN INTO SQUASH
There’s a noticeable difference between the number of women compared to men on the World Tour, we want to change that. Squash is an inclusive sport but we need more young talent to come through the ranks and we want more female squash players to inject new life into the Women’s World Tour.
We are growing the interest in female squash through clinics, lectures and fun group activities. The PSA covers the women’s World Tour in the same capacity as the men’s and there are more women’s events each year. We also partner with governing bodies such as England Squash and U.S. Squash who are actively pushing for the increase of women on all levels.
Women in Squash week is a big presentation on how we are all working towards this common goal and we ensure this is carried out throughout the year.
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
As part of our campaign to get more people into squash, we’ve helped a multitude of programmes attract youngsters to the sport.
We partner with as many organisations promoting equal opportunities as possible to help provide support, equipment and advise on how to appeal to all people and all ages regardless of background or beliefs.
One stand out programme we support is SquashBond. By teaching life skills and leadership through squash, the programme brings together children from diverse segments of Israeli society to promote personal growth and cross-cultural co-operation. Thanks to a partnership with Haifa University, SquashBond Hafia serves 26 children from Arab and Jewish backgrounds.
From the start, warm relationships were being forged between students, mentors and coaches. SquashBond Director and coach Nitzan Moree says:
“This truly is a historic moment for squash in Israel and we couldn’t be more excited”.
“The kids are loving the squash. They adore their mentors and it’s very powerful for 8-10-year-old children from disadvantaged backgrounds to spend several days each week on the university campus – which most of them had never even visited before”.
EQUAL PRIZE MONEY
During the 2017/18 season the PSA announced a record level of prize money available on the PSA World Tour, with total financial compensation reaching $6.4 million – an 11% increase on the previous season. The pay gap between female and male players dropped by almost a third, with total prize money on the women’s tour totalling $2,599,000 million – a 31% increase compared to 2016/17 – while the men’s has increased to $3,820,000.
This trend is reflected in both the men’s and women’s top earners. The top earning female player on the PSA World Tour earned $218,814 last season – a 93% increase since the PSA and Women’s Squash Association (WSA) merged in 2015 to create a unified governing body. The top earning male player earned $278,231 last season, which has increased 72% over the past three seasons.
