Steph Gilmore pushing women to fight harder for equal pay, rights

World champion surfer Stephanie Gilmore believes women need to fight harder for pay parity and equal rights. She believes women are sitting back and being grateful for what they have instead of making noise and campaigning.

• Gilmore wins seven surfing title

World champion surfer Stephanie Gilmore believes women need to fight harder for pay parity and equal rights.

The 30-year-old advocate, who in November was officially crowned equal best female surfer in history when she won her seventh world title at the Beachwater Maui Pro, believes it is in a women’s nature to sit back and be grateful for what they have, instead of making noise and campaigning for equal rights.

Pro Aussie surfing champion Steph Gilmore is calling on women to fight harder for equal rights and pay. Picture: Vogue Australia for January 2019 issue

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“The WSL have done so much for the women in so many ways, and all the girls on tour were like: ‘We’re so thankful for everything they’ve done already’, and didn’t want to complain,” Gilmore told Vogue Australia.

“It’s a female thing, it’s ingrained in us to be like: ‘Oh, that’s okay, we’re doing so good

already’, instead of fighting for more.”

But in September Gilmore and men’s champion Kelly Slater stepped up to the plate, releasing a joint statement in support of the WSL’s announcement of equal prize money for women

and men on the professional circuit.

Fellow surfing champion Kelly Slater is supporting equal pay for women on the professional level. Picture: Brian Ach/Getty Images

“In the last couple of years I became more vocal about it and began to really ask the questions and sit down with the WSL and say: ‘Why don’t we have equal pay?’ It seems like such an easy thing to fix,” she says.

“We’re not taking anything away from the men, in fact, we’re equalling things.”

“But I think that’s the coolest thing about sport — our platform and our finances are basically public knowledge, because the prize money is public. So to have that standard it’s easier to show people right here, right now, let’s have the men and women standing on stage together

with equal prize money.”

Go to vogue.com.au to read more.