Venus Williams was 16 years old when she got a crash course in pay inequity.

Upon collecting her prize money at Wimbledon, she realized the amount on the check was far less than her male counterparts received. "That's the last thing you're thinking about as a kid, that you're going to get there and you're going to face inequity," Williams said. "So that's such a slap in the face for a 16-year-old to kind of realize, 'Wow, the world really has got some challenges.'"