The committee voted to keep the payouts equal this season and reevaluate the issue next season again based on numbers.

Based on most of your helpful above comments, I am realizing that if we didn't keep this the way it is, all the women could very well abandon and just as easily find a mixed league that pays more "equal." Next year, I am going to propose the women pay a slightly lower share of dues in order to retain a segment of senior women bowlers that can't afford to pay the same. At that time, I will also push the % lower female awards and hope to find a compromise there - if they are paying less into the fund they may more be more willing to perceive the underlying financial benefits of joining our league that already exist for the women's side now because they are twice as likely to win money from the prize fund, and need only roll a lower average than the men to still qualify because of fewer female participants in the competition.