Equal pay is a global issue but it’s especially prominent in male dominated professions. This is the case with Brazilian jiu jitsu
Luckily Dominyka Obelenyte is determined to rectify the situation – she challenged IBJJF to provide equal money prizes to both male and female athletes.
The Real Reason Women Aren’t Paid the Same as Men in “Pro” Jiu-Jitsu
She recently signed up for the 2016 IBJJF New York BJJ Pro – the same tournament she previously boycotted.
After dominating the open division she received a 1.500$ check – while the male open division winner received 4000$ for gold and 1000$ for silver.
She wrote about the experience:
Today has been an interesting day in my Bjj journey: I competed in a tournament I stand against for the lack of equal pay primarily in the black belt division, and won first place in weight and absolute.
I needed the competition experience and since I can’t travel much because of school, I decided to do it. Although the end result was a happy one there is still work to be done, the least the ibjjf can do is equalize terms for the absolute by giving women a greater purse. I call upon all my ladies to not get discouraged, with each generation of women, whether they be white or black belts, we see an improvement in not only skill but in division size. It is a rare sight to see women in divisions with one or zero fights in large tournaments these days, and with growing numbers, the push for equal pay cannot be deterred.
I encourage you guys to support your women Bjj fighters, watch their matches, understand that their journey is the same as everyone’s: entrenched in hard work and sacrifice.
Thank you to all those who support me, my awesome teammates and friends @vedhatoscano @artallmighty @teamfabioclemente @wayofbabs @zatatoscano @erinherle @jew.jitsu and everyone else who I forgot to mention. I also wanted to throw a huge thanks to my sponsors @shoyoroll @bearsyr @digitsuonline #lamonicasnypizza for getting me here. I would be nowhere without the support of any of you ❤️ #Bjj #jiujitsu #bjjgirls #bjjwomen #supportwomensbjj #girlsingis #equalpayforbjj #jiujitsuwomen #jiujitsugirls
She spoke to flograppling on the same subject and elaborated:
” I feel like my presence there at the pro, that I did win and I won a lot less than the boys, that brought a lot of people to attention.”
“I think we hadn’t really seen that before and now we’re seeing it more often. And women taking on full time roles as instructors at academies, I feel like soon enough, once the market saturates with enough women, there’s nowhere to hide.”
Gabi Garcia Fires Back at Kim Terra over Sexist Statement on IBJJF Equal Pay
