How To Bring a Gender Equity Lens to Your COVID-19 Response

As sport organizations respond to the COVID-19 crisis, they must not backtrack on steps taken toward gender equity.  As with all sectors, sport in Canada has been upended, and unless we are careful, girls and women may be left on the sidelines of the recovery.

Coach/Entraîneur: Éric Brosseau Photo: John Major (CAC/ACE)

We know that sport organizations are tasked with making difficult decisions – and we’re here to help you ensure those decisions are strategic and set you up to benefit from the long-term advantages of gender equity. Bringing a gender lens to your “return to sport and play” planning will set you up for success, mitigate risks and create opportunities for your entire program or organization.

So, how can you apply a gender lens in your decision making?

  • Understand the issues and what’s at stake. Read our opinion piece on why this crisis is an opportunity to rethink gender equity in sport.
  • Make women and girls part of your return to sport and play plans. Read and share our list of four ways you can accomplish this.  
  • Use our Gender Equity LENS framework. This quick guide shows you how to do this.
  • Learn more about the benefits of gender equity. Talk to your colleagues and peers about the advantages and benefits that equitable programs and policies can bring to your organization.
  • Take advantage of our free webinar offerings. In our most recent series, Experts Connect: Building Social Connection for Girls in Sport, we invited three experts to give their take on how to keep girls engaged, even while sport programming is currently postponed.
  • Explore our other learning opportunities and resources. These will help you understand how to prioritize inclusion in your work on a day-to-day basis:

Keeping Girls in Sport

Learn how to create safe and respectful environments for girls to participate in sport and physical activity with this e-module for coaches and activity leaders.

She Belongs

She Belongs offers practical recommendations to create social connection and better engage girls in the Learn to Train and Train to Train stages of the LTD Framework.

Gender-Equitable Boards

This resource provides sport leaders with information and tips to enhance good practices or dial up efforts to support gender-equitable boards.

  • Contact us. If you need support or consultation on gender equity initiatives, we can help.

Are you a sport organization using a gender lens in your return to sport and play planning? We want to hear from you.