WNBA Agreement Puts New Spotlight on Pay Disparity: 8 Takeaways for HR

You’d think a near-400 % pay increase for a group of women in the spotlight would finally ease the tension over pay disparity.

But the “transformational” WNBA collective bargaining agreement might not spill over into corporate America as easily as a rim shot. The deal is a big deal: WNBA player salaries will range between $270,000 and $1.4 million. Meanwhile, NBA player salaries range from $320,000 to $59 million.

In everyday offices, the pay disparity isn’t nearly as blatant, but it still exists on an apparent level. According to the most recent Pew Research Center data, women make about 85% of what men earn in the US.

“And our data shows that the gender pay gap is particularly prevalent among traditionally male-dominated industries, such as science (13.1%), engineering (9.5%) and IT (7%),” says James Neave, Head of Data Science at Adzuna.

WNBA Pay Disparity Then and Now

Back to the pay disparity in the WNBA. It’s been around as long as the league has been — 30 years. But it really took the spotlight in late 2024 when wildly popular college basketball player Caitlin Clark was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft, and the world found out she’d only make about $80,000 a year. (To note, the first round draft pick in the NBA made $10 million as his salary.)

The new WNBA deal includes a 364% increase to the players’ salary cap, making it the biggest jump ever in U.S. professional sports. Players will get a 20% share of league revenues — a first for them. (NBA players earn a 50% share of revenues.)

More interesting from an HR perspective are some of the lesser noticed conditions of the deal: They’re benefits we might otherwise assume women get because, for the most part, their male counterparts did. Players will now have:

• Continued chartered travel. That was actually pounded out ahead of the agreement. But, to be clear, the NBA players and staff never wondered where their work transportation was coming from.
• Dedicated medical staff. The required number of physicians, trainers, and therapists wasn’t near that of the NBA teams.
• Family-first commitments. The agreement safeguards for mothers in the workplace. For instance, teams need a player’s consent before they trade a pregnant player.
• Rewards for performance. Yes, they had to put it in writing and put their money where their mouths were. Women will be rewarded for outstanding performance.

Spotlight on Pay, Perception Gaps

There’s a perception gap, too.

Back in corporate America, 58% of women believe people are promoted — and pay decisions are made around those promotions — equally based on performance, regardless of gender at their company, according to HiBob’s 2026 Women in the Workplace study. Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters of men see it that way.

“Right now, employees still feel that a gap exists in how men and women are assessed at work. Parity is crucial to fostering a culture built on fairness, equity, inclusion and trust,” says Annie Rosencrans, People & Culture Director at HiBob.

In reality, another study from HiBob found 38% percent of men were promoted with pay raises in one recent year, while just 32% of women were. Similarly, 17% of men received benefit increases, while just 8% of women did.

“Organizations that ignore these gaps risk losing high-performing employees and damaging their employer brand,” says Rosencrans. “Moreover, when employees are fairly compensated, it strengthens morale, reinforces a merit-based culture, and drives retention, which is key for long-term success.”

HR can help fix this.

Here are eight takeaways from the WNBA pay disparity fallout — and keys to lessen or eliminate it in corporate America.

1. Introduce Equal Pay Audits

Both Neave of Adzuna and Rosencrans of Hibob suggest regular equal pay audits.

“This is important both for equity within the organization and to ensure the company is remaining competitive with the external market,” says Rosencrans. “Payroll tech can provide a seamless way for HR teams to regularly assess employee compensation and ensure pay equity across employees holding the same role, experience, tenure, and job level.”

Then, as Neave says, “address any potential disparities in compensation based on gender, ethnicity or other bias-driven factors.”

2. Add Other Audits

Don’t end the audits at pay.

“Employers can embed equity into the everyday structure of work by regularly auditing promotions, bonuses, and compensation decisions to identify and eliminate bias,” says Rosencrans. “This ensures that all high performers have access to career-advancing opportunities and that flexible benefits are offered to reduce barriers for caregivers.”

3. Set a Benchmark for Each Role

Regularly do market research so you can set a pay benchmark for each role.

This is helpful because you “minimize potential bias by being explicit about expectations on experience, skills and performance,” says Neave.

Rosencrans says there’s another benefit to this approach: “With salary transparency laws now enacted in many regions, businesses can get a better understanding of what their competitors are paying and make sure they are matching or exceeding those salary bands.” 

Another emerging benefit for setting new benchmarks is you can figure out if current requirements for certain roles are still necessary — such as a degree for career advancement. Growing trends include hiring and advancing based more on skills and less on education.

4. Check Access to Advancement

While you might know your compensation is fair and equitable because it lines up on paper, there’s something else that can hinder pay equality: access to advancement.

Like pay audits, you’ll also want to regularly review whether female employees have equal access to career progression and learning opportunities as your male employees.

You might need to become more proactive about helping female employees explore career advancement.

“Be transparent about steps for career progression. Outline the steps and skills required for advancement for each position,” says Neave. “Make sure they are skills-based and the job descriptions reflect the role.”

5. Formalize Opportunities for Women

Help women help themselves move ahead in their careers and compensation through formal opportunities. But let them choose to participate.

You might try programs specifically created to help women advance — such as mentorship programs, leadership development programs and networking opportunities.

And you can get more women in the door — and on the road to advancing — if you invite senior female managers onto interview panels during the hiring process or promotion discussion. 

“HR professionals and company leaders can create a safe environment that supports the growth of women by making sure women are treated fairly, and that there are good role models at their companies of women in leadership,” says Rosencrans.

6. Offer Women-Focused Benefits, Perks

Build benefits, compensation and perks that appeal to women in the workplace.

“Offering benefits that meet the needs of working women – and working mothers – is critical in making sure women who choose to have children aren’t impacted by the ‘motherhood penalty,'” says Rosencrans. “This includes offering parental leave and flexibility to working parents who may need to step out for a child’s doctor appointment or daycare drop-off.

And Neave suggests, “Introduce female-centric perks tailored to working mothers — e.g., parental leave, enhanced maternity leave, flexible working and subsidized childcare. According to Oxfam, women are five to eight times more likely than men to have their employment affected by caregiving responsibilities.”

7. Implement Unconscious Bias Training

Sometimes, people don’t recognize biases — and that can be especially true when it comes to gender bias.

So you’ll want to add regular unconscious bias training for anyone who manages others and include lessons in conducting unbiased pay negotiations. 

8. Consider Pay Transparency a Strategic Initiative

Most organizations discourage employees from talking about pay.

“HR leaders need to shift their mindset on pay transparency from a regulatory obligation to a strategic advantage,” says Rosencrans.

HiBob’s survey found 25% of companies don’t practice any salary transparency, which erodes trust. 

“As HR leaders, we shape culture and serve as stewards of the employee experience. But increasingly, we are also financial operators, which is why 32% of HR leaders report needing clearer financial guardrails when making salary decisions, according to the HiBob ‘Budget Smart – People Fair’ Report. When it comes to compensation strategy, HR and finance must act as a coordinated team with shared accountability, because achieving pay equity requires coordinated ownership across the business.”