Only One Mom Made the 2024 Highest Paid Female Athletes List – See How the Male List Compares

If you’re a fan of women’s sports, then you know that the field has grown exponentially in the past few years. According to Deloitte for CNBC, elite women’s sports has seen a 300% increase since 2021. For the first time in history, it’s an industry set to generate revenue above $1 billion in 2024.

But, despite all the progress, Sportico‘s recently published list of the 15 highest-paid female athletes in 2024 is bringing us all back to reality. After all, when comparing it to Forbes‘ list of the 10 highest-paid male athletes this year, which is topped by soccer legends Cristiano Ronald and Lionel Messi and golf star Jon Rahm, some differences are quite eye-opening.

On the list of highest-paid female sports stars, which was topped by tennis grand slam winner Coco Gauff and skier Eileen Gu, only one mom appears: Naomi Osaka.

As a reminder, four-time grand slam champion Osaka, 27, welcomed her first daughter Shai in July 2023. By January 2024, she made her return to the courts at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open.

On the list, Osaka, who played at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on behalf of Japan, landed in sixth place. Per Sportico, Osaka earned a total of $15.9 million this year. Her earnings were composed of $15 million in endorsements with major brands like Nike, Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, Panasonic, and Beats and $870,000 in prize money. As noted by the outlet, Osaka also joined Zico Coconut Water this year as an investor and brand ambassador.

Overall, while Osaka’s paycheck is more than many of us could dream of, it’s disappointing to see only one parent make the cut, perfectly exemplifying the choice many women have to make between motherhood and career success.

On the male list, on the other hand, all the athletes except for Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé are parents. That’s right, 9 out of the 10 are proud dads.

Many of them are dads of many kids too. While Ronaldo (#1) shares five children with his partner Georgina Rodríguez, Lebron James (#4) has three kids with his wife Savannah James and Stephen Curry (#9) has four kids with his wife Ayesha Curry. In other words, not only can male athletes become parents with their professional careers more often, but they’re in fully formed and growing families by the time they reach their peak success.

Another notable difference between the female and male lists is the stark disparity between the numbers. While the highest-paid female athlete Coco Gauff earned $30.4 million this year, comprised of $9.4 million in prize money and $21 million in endorsements, the lowest-paid athlete in the male list, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, earned a hefty $100.5 million.

In other words, while female sports are on the rise, the potential endorsement and salary opportunities don’t compare with the males’. They can still find success, but it’ll all be a fraction of their male counterparts.

Another important aspect of this is the age difference too. While the median age of the male athletes is 32.8, the average top-earning female athlete is 24.5. Could this account for the male athletes having more kids and bigger families? Sure. Would it be encouraging to know that both male and female athletic careers could have the same lifespan? Absolutely.

In September, for example, former women’s soccer star Alex Morgan, who was the 11th highest-paid female athlete in 2023, retired and announced her second pregnancy in one major career move. Serena Williams, who long stood as one of the highest paid female athletes, made a similar move in 2022, retiring a year before welcoming her second child. Growing a family and maintaining a sports career is no easy task for female athletes.

So while we’re happy for athletes like Morgan who have managed to make an impact and reach major career highs, it’s safe to say there’s still a long way to go to make the disparity between genders equal and equitable. Here’s hoping we continue to see badass athlete moms like Osaka making their mark in the industry in the future.

Before you go, click here to check out the highest paid celebrity women today.