2023-06-28 14:24:39
Las football players they want to be mothers. Many of them, however, decide to postpone motherhood. Due to fear, reprisals or lack of information. They do not feel heard and, now, they have raised their voices to share their concerns Regarding a topic, it seems alien to soccer, but it really is closely linked to it as a result of the growth of women’s soccer. Motherhood, the great pending issue.
It’s your time. The soccer players are in the spotlight and want to be heard. “The world of the football industry is the League, the Federation, the CSD, the clubs… Sometimes it even seems that the referees are listened to more and they are always in the last place. And it cannot be. They are the protagonists, without them football would not exist”, demands Amanda Gutiérrez, president of FutPro.
Many of the professionals in this country have in mind to be mothers, but their information regarding motherhood is limited.. “We have realized that when we have wanted to listen to them, they have absolutely no information about what motherhood is,” adds Gutiérrez. FutPro, the majority women’s soccer union, has drawn the first conclusions from a study that wants to respond to the concerns of the players. But, to give an answer, the first thing they have done is listen to the players. What are they afraid of? What worries you? Do they delay motherhood for fear of losing their professional career?
????I Study on maternity in women’s soccer: 46% of professional soccer players in our country are concerned about getting pregnant due to possible retaliation that their club may take. #FUTPRO #Maternity #StudioFUTPRO pic.twitter.com/ejz7hoHOlB
— FUTPRO (@futpro_es) June 28, 2023
46% of female footballers are concerned about possible reprisals from their clubs if they become pregnant. They are afraid of their clubs, of the decisions they can make because they decide to be mothers. More than 60% of those surveyed are afraid that their contract will end for getting pregnant, in addition to 40% think that they would be discriminated against when it comes to playing. Lowering their salary is also one of their biggest concerns, and 40% feel that their club could lower their salary if they decide to become a mother. “100% of the soccer players believe that the clubs do not do enough in terms of conciliation and 46% are afraid of reprisals in terms of lowering my salary“, says the president of FutPro.
There are no own regulations
The current situation is bleak. In the Spanish collective agreement that regulates women’s football, there is no article that regulates maternity in professional athletes. “There is no maternity protocol. If some soccer players get pregnant, they are left at the expense of their own club. It is vital that maternity be regulated in a women’s soccer agreement,” claims Amanda Gutiérrez. The only article that contemplates maternity in the collective agreement is the possibility of renewing your contract with the same conditions for another year. The rights that women have when they become pregnant are included in the Workers’ Statute: they are entitled to 100% of their regulatory base and 16 weeks off.
From the Federation and public bodies there are no regulations and the clubs end up being the ones who decide what to do when a soccer player gets pregnant Many admit that they do not have the tools to know how to act or what protocols they can follow to give their soccer players the best working conditions during the pregnancy and postpartum process.
90% of the soccer players believe that it is difficult to reconcile with professional sport, according to the study, and all the soccer players think that it is necessary for the clubs to implement actions to reconcile family and work.
Egg freezing, a solution
While the solutions have not yet arrived, there are footballers who need them now. Many of them want to be mothers, but have decided to postpone that vital stage until after they finish their careers.. One solution to end up being a mother is egg freezing. “Age is the most important factor for fertility prognosis. And when the woman gets older, she asks for the quantity of eggs and also quality,” explains Dr. Rebeca Berguería, from the Natuvitro clinic.
“Their ovules have changes over time and it is more difficult for the pregnancy to occur spontaneously. There is a greater risk of abortion and you are talking about a group of high-performance sports women, which also sometimes has repercussions at the hormonal level. Some may have problems with their menstrual cycles and require treatment and sometimes it is even more complicated, or couples of girls are treated who, yes or yes, have to do it in the clinic,” adds the doctor.
The egg freezing process lasts about fifteen days, and you can do it during your vacation without affecting your athletic performance. This process has an approximate cost of 2,000 euros.
#soccer #players #afraid #reprisals