With the Women’s World Cup quickly approaching, athletes, fans and coaches are preparing for one of the biggest sporting events of 2019. Yet, nearly 20 years after the Women’s World Cup was founded, the women’s team still gets paid less than the men.

Prior to the 2015 World Cup, the U.S. women team’s games had four times fewer views than the men, resulting in lower production budgets for the women’s matches, according to “The Atlantic.”

More money for men’s sports results in higher-quality coverage and commentary, making matches appear more alluring and exciting for television and streaming audiences.

The men’s team also earns higher bonuses for advancing to the same position in the World Cup as the women. Men receive around $315,625 more in bonuses than women even when they advance to first place in the Women’s World Cup, according to “The New York Times.”

Unlike the men’s team, the women did in fact advance to the World Cup championship in 2015, breaking records for the views that the match brought in. Women, however, made $2 million for clinching first place while men still made $9 million just for qualifying for the Round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup.

The women’s soccer team deserves to be paid the same salary as the men’s team. Women work just as hard to train, and their efforts and successes deserve to be recognized.

In order for this change to happen, women need more sponsors to help increase their  production budgets for games. FIFA allocates significantly more money to support the men’s team despite recording-breaking views of the women’s team in 2015.

We, as women, need to back brands and services that support women’s athletics and can contribute to increasing the team’s production budgets, which can in turn help generate higher-quality coverage of matches and games, more ratings, and hopefully, more equal salaries for women.

If women want to see a change in the fight for equal pay, we must support our fellow female athletes.

The U.S. Women’s team, like all female athletes not only inspire our country, but young female athletes across the globe. Their tenacity and love for the game allows them to be expert role models for future generations, and they are deserving of recognition.