Within sport, COVID-19 has resulted in huge revenue losses and deep cuts to programming. Every individual involved in sport, from leaders to athletes to coaches, at all levels of sport, felt these changes. But, the impact of those changes were likely not be experienced equally by all. Reviewing sport participation statistics from before COVID-19, fewer girls participated in sport compared to boys and girls experienced unique barriers to sport.

The Pandemic Impact on Girls in Sport report, which collected data from over 5,000 Canadian families, shows that 1 in 4 girls are not committed to returning to sport. If we don’t act now to counter this trend, we might realize a new normal of over 350,000 girls sitting on the sidelines in the post-COVID-19 world.

The success of sport in Canada will depend on girls’ engagements and contributions; so now is the time to rethink how we can rebuild sport with and for them. As sport poises to return, there is an opportunity to change the minds of girls to commit to return. We must pay attention to what girls want. We must design with their needs at the centre. The time for action is now.

This report was produced in partnership with E-Alliance and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, and thanks to funding from the Government of Canada.

Read the report to learn more.

Related Resources:

• Learn how to create safe and respectful environments for girls to participate in sport and physical activity with the Keeping Girls in Sport e-module, for coaches and activity leaders.
• 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 Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity Framework (LTD). 
• Actively Engaging Women and Girls: Addressing the Psycho-Social Factors is a supplement to the Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) foundation documents. The purpose of this resource is to increase awareness about the experiences of women and girls and provide recommendations to address the psycho-social factors that influence their athletic development, leadership and life-long participation in sport and physical activity.
• Jumpstart State of Sport Report

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While more research is needed on the experience of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) in sport, we know that they experience sport in unique ways. If we don’t acknowledge this, we risk building more barriers to equity.

Webinar

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The Rally Report, produced in partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and with research completed by IMI International, explores current Canadian trends in sport participation with a specific focus on the target groups of girls ages 6–18. 

Overall, The Rally Report shows that sport participation levels for Canadian girls are much lower than boys.  Among girls who have participated in sport, there is a dramatic dropout rate observed with 1 in 3 girls leaving sport by late adolescence. By comparison, the dropout rate for teenage boys (aged 16-18) is only 1 in 10. Sport participation rates for Canadian girls decline steadily from childhood to adolescence with as many as 62% of girls not playing sport at all.

This study is designed to inform, educate, and inspire action across Canada and to keep girls in sport. We invite you to rally with us—to drive change and build the momentum we need to achieve gender equity. Let’s use our collective voices to advocate for sport that is inclusive and reflects our values. 

It’s Rally Time!

The power of sport to empower girls is undeniable. It helps them push boundaries, build connections, and develop confidence. Sport is an important launching pad as we build the next generation of women leaders.

Watch some of Canada’s top sport figures to discuss why we need more Canadian girls In the Game.

Hosted in partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and Homestand Sports.

Related Resources:

• Learn how to create safe and respectful environments for girls to participate in sport and physical activity with the Keeping Girls in Sport e-module, for coaches and activity leaders.
• 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 Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity Framework (LTD). 
• Canadian Women & Sport releases a yearly “Snapshot” of gender diversity in sport leadership, reflecting gender composition at the board and senior staff level. This Snapshot is based on a survey of Canadian National Sport Organizations (NSOs) and Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs).
• Canadian Women & Sport partnered with Canada’s dairy farmers for the Fuelling Women Champions initiative and published Women in Sport – Fuelling a Lifetime of Participation, the precursor to this report, in March 2016.

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Working towards gender balance in sport leadership has the potential to help mitigate critical risks sport organizations face today, whether in terms of safe sport, financial sustainability, or effective governance.

In order to achieve this gender balance, data is required to track progress and hold the system accountable.

Canadian Women & Sport releases a yearly “Snapshot” of gender diversity in sport leadership, reflecting gender composition at the board and senior staff level. This Snapshot is based on a survey of Canadian National Sport Organizations (NSOs) and Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs).

Our goal? To review and reflect on the Canadian sport system’s progress toward advancing gender equity, to create conversation and to spark action.

Current Snapshot

2020-21

In a year where COVID-19 unfortunately sparked a “she-cession” that threatened to roll back economic progress of women, it is encouraging to see key sport leadership roles held by women either hold steady versus one year ago or move slightly up. But, while progress is exciting, at the current pace, the national level of sport will not reach gender parity on boards until 2037 – 12 years past the Government of Canada’s target date of 2024 for achieving gender-balanced boards. Intentional and sustained action is required.

Past Snapshots

2019-20

The 2019-2020 report summarizes the composition of decision-making at National Sport Organizations (NSOs), Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs) and, new this year, Canadian Sport Institutes (CSIs). The good news: Sport in Canada is making steady progress in including perspectives from women. The challenge: We still have work to do. Let’s create conversation and spark action.

2018-19

The 2018-2019 snapshot reflects a promising trend, with the number of women on boards up 2 per cent from 2018. In January of 2019, sport organizations reported an overwhelming intention to make a formal commitment to gender equity in their governance documents; however, only 47 per cent reported that they had a documented commitment already in place at the board level. Only 17 per cent reported a similar commitment at the senior staff level.

2017-18

Our 2017-2018 inaugural snapshot demonstrated that while there is progress being made, women are still underrepresented in sport leadership. In January of 2018, 45 per cent of sport organizations had fewer than 30 per cent women on their boards. This thirty percent threshold is a critical mass required to ensure that diverse voices are well considered.

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Women in Sport: Fuelling a Lifetime of Participation is one of the most extensive and important resources for anyone looking to understand the status of women and girls in the Canadian sport system.

Key challenges highlighted in the report include:

• A sharper decline in girls’ participation rates during adolescence than boys’
• High costs to participate and few perceived financial opportunities for a career as a female athlete
• A lack of prominent role models and quality media coverage
• A need for coaches who can support positive sport experiences for girls

We give you the facts you need to understand the issues – then we show you how to make a difference.

With recommendations for system, community, and individual level change, there’s a part for everyone to play in improving the Canadian sport landscape for women and girls.

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Canadian Women & Sport has advocated passionately for an equitable and inclusive sport system that empowers women and girls for the past forty years. We believe that inclusion for women and girls must include inclusion of trans women and girls. This position is rooted in Canada’s human rights legislation and in our core value of inclusion. It is also significantly informed by our ongoing reviews of the research and dialogue with stakeholders. We have articulated this view in our position statement on trans inclusion, which you can find on this page, and more recently in our statement on the World Rugby ruling, which you can find here. 

There is still much to be learned about how to create truly inclusive environments where people of all genders can all achieve their fullest potential through sport. We will continue to be informed by research and to engage in respectful dialogue that recognizes the human rights of trans people within sport and seeks to advance solutions for inclusion.  We look forward to engaging with the sport system further on this topic in 2021 in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

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In keeping with its mandate to increase the participation of women and girls in sport and physical activity, Canadian Women & Sport has prepared a position paper on homophobia in sport. Homophobia — or the fear and hatred of people who are homosexual— is often an obstacle to participation in sport among all groups: women and men, young and old, of any sexual orientation. In particular, many girls and women shy away from sport out of fear they will be perceived as lesbians. Canadian Women & Sport feels that addressing the issue of homophobia in sport is very timely given Canada’s inclusive stance on minority rights as well as the Canadian sport system’s overall strategy of making the sport environment, and the sport experience, safe and welcoming.

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