Steph Curry has written an essay addressing gender equality titled “This is Personal” that was released on Women’s Equality Day. The essay, published in The Player’s Tribune, advocates for equality of the sexes and striving for a future that is fair to women.
Throughout the essay, the Golden State Warriors star reflects on the women and girls that have made a large impact on his life: his mother, Sonya, his wife, Ayesha, and his two daughters, Riley and Ryan. Curry states that because of them, “I feel like I’ve been receiving this education on what it means to be a woman in America.”
Above all else, being a father of two girls has made Curry even more aware of the struggles faced by American women. Upon reflecting on the issues faced by women, and the realization that his own daughters might face them, Curry writes, “I want our girls to grow up knowing that there are no boundaries that can be placed on their futures, period. I want them to grow up in a world where their gender does not feel like a rulebook for what they should think, or be, or do. And I want them to grow up believing that they can dream big, and strive for careers where they’ll be treated fairly.”
Curry goes on to address the wage gap in the United States and the dire need to close it. “Every day – that’s when we need to be working to close the pay gap in this country. Because every day is when the pay gap is affecting women. And every day is when the pay gap is sending the wrong message to women about who they are, and how they’re valued, and what they can or cannot become,” Curry states.
He then reflects on a basketball camp he held over the summer. However, this camp was unlike any other Curry had hosted before: it was exclusively for girls. The free, two-day camp hosted 200 girls and sought not only to improve their basketball skills, but also to allow them to be themselves and see how capable they truly are.
Curry closes his essay by calling for action in terms of the wage gap. In a powerful moment after detailing his experience at the basketball camp, Curry writes, “But while that moment was satisfying… I’m not even close to satisfied. In fact, I’m feeling more driven than ever – to help out women who are working toward progress, in any way that I can. Let’s work to close the opportunity gap. Let’s work to close the pay gap. And let’s work together on this. I mean, “women deserve equality” – that’s not politics, right? That’s not something that people are actually disagreeing on, is it? It can’t be.”
An athlete like Steph Curry stepping up to advocate for gender equality is not only encouraging, it is necessary, especially considering women in basketball are underpaid compared to him and his male teammates. Through his powerful essay, Curry has drawn attention to a serious misconception about fighting for gender equality: men do not need to have daughters to seek justice and equality for all women.
Featured Image by morgan sarkissian on Unsplash
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