Maternity Leave—Not Higher Pay—Is the WNBA’s Real Win

Maternity leave and parental benefits aren’t usually the first things that come to mind when considering equality for women athletes. But the WNBA took a major step forward on that front last month, announcing a new collective-bargaining agreement with its players’ association that will increase salaries significantly and guarantee players fully paid maternity leave for the first time in its history.

In the league’s previous agreement, players earned as little as half their salaries while taking maternity leave—salaries that were only about $75,000 on average to begin with. The athletes will now receive average compensation of nearly $130,000—the first time the average will top six figures. (NBA players pull in more than $7 million on average each year). Parents in the WNBA will also now have two-bedroom apartments guaranteed by the league, and a child-care stipend of $5,000.

“The deal represents moving forward both from a WNBA perspective, but also in general, for women in sports and society,” Sue Bird, a member of the WNBA Players Association executive committee, told . She continued: “When you look at things like what we’re able