Women's sports are experiencing historic growth, yet athletes still earn a fraction of their male counterparts.
Viewership is surging. Americans consumed 46 billion minutes of women's sports in 2025. The WNBA saw its most-watched season ever, with 1.3 million average viewers on ESPN and total viewership up 16% year over year. Women's March Madness drew nearly 40,000 fans for the Final Four, the second-highest attendance in tournament history. And, the NWSL Championship topped 1 million viewers for the first time.
But the pay gap remains stark. 58% of female athletes earn less than $25,000 annually from their sport. No woman made Sportico's list of the 100 highest-paid athletes for the second straight year. The average WNBA salary is $120,000 versus over $9 million in the NBA. NHL minimums outpace top PWHL salaries. Many WNBA stars still play overseas to supplement income.
Progress is happening. The Equal Pay for Team USA Act mandates equal pay in international competition. A BBC analysis found 83% of sports globally now offer equal prize money. Tennis Grand Slams, track, and cricket have made major strides.
The business case has never been stronger. U.S. women's sports revenues surpassed $1 billion in 2024; the global market is projected to hit $2.35 billion in 2025. Media rights reflect the shift: the WNBA's new $2.2 billion broadcast deal tripled its prior agreement, and ESPN is paying ten times more for NCAA women's basketball.
New teams and leagues are launching: the Golden State Valkyries sold over 10,000 season tickets in their debut; the NWSL and WNBA are expanding; and new leagues like the PWHL, LOVB, and Unrivaled launched in 2025. 86% of brands say women's sports sponsorships meet or exceed ROI expectations.
The bottom line: women's sports are outgrowing men's in revenue, fan engagement, and media value. The gap between commercial momentum and athlete pay is narrowing but remains wide. The investment is coming. The fans are here. Now the structures need to catch up.
For most of history, major infrastructure was built almost exclusively by men. That is changing. Women are now leading the country’s most complex projects, and the shift is more than symbolic.
While women still make up only 11.2% of the construction workforce, their presence has grown for ten consecutive years. In high-stakes environments like heavy industrial construction, female leadership is emerging as a driving force.
Two notable leaders are Carolyn Gonot and Sarah Wilson. Gonot is the CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), overseeing the $12.7 billion BART Silicon Valley Phase II project. Wilson serves as the project’s Director of Construction, managing the logistics of a first-of-its-kind tunnel. A generation ago, two women at the helm of such a megaproject would have been nearly unimaginable.
Support systems are growing as well, with organizations fostering mentorship networks to help women break into the field. The gender wage gap for construction managers also shrank by 16.8% from 2023 to 2024, with women now earning 98.7 cents for every dollar earned by men.
When complete, the BART extension will connect residents to 1 million jobs and reduce emissions by 19,500 tons annually. That a project of this magnitude is led by women in its two most critical roles sets a precedent that will ripple forward for years to come.
Turns out, the secret to more babies is… men doing the dishes.
Countries have higher birth rates when men do more housework and child care. Meanwhile, a UN report finds the fertility crisis stems from economic barriers and a lack of supportive partners, not a lack of desire for kids. So if leaders want to boost births, the most effective policy may be getting men to pull their weight at home.
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