Pregnant players on the tennis tour for women can now get 12 months of maternity leave paid, and those who become parents through partner pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption can be released for two months for two months as part of a Saudi Arabia program sponsored by the WTA.
“Independent contractors and self -employed usually have no such maternity advantages and are available to them. They have to find out these advantages for themselves,” said Portia Archer, CEO from WTA. “This is really a kind of novel and groundbreaking.”
More than 300 players are entitled to the fund, retrospectively until January 1. The WTA would not disclose how much money is involved.
The program, which the WTA as “announced for the first time in the sports history of women, that extensive maternity advantages are available to independent, independent athletes,” also offers grants for fertility treatments, including eaf fulfillment and IVF.
It is part of another trend: If the sport of women’s sports increases, the focus is on fulfilling maternity and parental needs.
How many mothers are now on the tennis tour for women?
The WTA says 25 mothers are active on tour; The one gold medalist from Tokyo Olympics, Belinda Bencic, won a title last month after returning from maternity leave in October.
More and more professionals in tennis have returned to the plot after they had children, including players No. 1 and Grand Slam title winner such as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka.
Azarenka, a member of the WTA player of the players, which Archer recognized, played a key role in urge to urge this fund.
“Great opportunity”
“This is certainly one of the goals of the program: the financial resources, the flexibility to provide support, so that these athletes, regardless of where they are classified, but especially those who earn less to decide this agency when and how they want to start their families,” said Archer.
And Azarenka said this could make some players to become parents before finally withdrawing from sport.
“Every feedback that we have heard of players who are mothers or are not mothers is:” Wow, that is an incredible opportunity for us, “said the Australian open champion from 2012-13, Azarenka, whose son Leo, 8.” I think it will really change the conversation in sports.
Further steps that the WTA has taken in recent years to make the players accessible are more women in coaching, the implementation of protection, attempt to contain cyberbullying and increase prize money with the eye to pay what the men get in sports.
What role does Saudi Arabia play in tennis?
The public investment fund or PIF became the global partner of the WTA last year, after many public debates – Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova – were the critics because of LGBTQ+ and women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom is now organizing the WTA final at the end of the season and an ATP event for emerging stars of the men’s tennis. The PIF sponsors the WTA and ATP ranking.
“We would not have been able to offer the advantages if it did not offer PIF for this relationship and the financing,” said Archer.
What are guidelines for maternity leave in golf, football and basketball?
- In 2019, in 2019, the LPGA introduced an updated maternity leave directive in Golf, which is an individual sport without guaranteed salaries like tennis, with which athletes have the same game status.
- In football, both the NWSL and the US women national team have enabled collective agreements that enable pregnancy vacation and parental leave. The NWSL pays the full basic content while an athlete is pregnant.
- In basketball, the WNBA CBA guarantees full salary during maternity leave.
For tennis, said Azarenka, the PIF WTA is the maternity fund program “only the beginning”.
“It’s an incredible beginning. Monumental change,” she said. “But I think we can examine how we can expand this fund for larger, better things.”
