By accessing this page, sport leaders will be able to utilize the Gender Equity in Coaching Framework and Self-Assessment tool to improve conditions for women in coaching by identifying the factors that can be changed within your organization. 

Where are we now?

Current coaching data indicates that women are under-represented as coaches both nationally and internationally. The Coaching Association of Canada reported that of individuals who identified taking a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) course and recorded it within the Locker (a dedicated online tracking system) in 2019 only 34% were women, compared to 66% men and 0.1% another gender. With the caveat that these numbers do not include any non-NCCP training entered in the Locker or any training undertaken outside of the Coaching Association of Canada purview, there is an obvious gap in rates of training for women compared to men. Data collected from U SPORTS and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) shows that 26% of head coaches are women and that there has been no significant improvement to the percentage of women coaches in post-secondary institutions over a four-year time span.¹

The issues influencing this trend are mostly institutional and societal. Some examples of institutional barriers include greater discrimination than coaches who are men, barriers to hiring and professional advancement, salaries, access to resources, and more.² Societal barriers such as sports and gender, networking and access discrimination.³ While creating programs to help prepare women for coaching and leadership roles within sport, the system itself must work to be more inclusive so that it appeals to and retains diverse women coaches. 

Sport organizations have a responsibility to challenge the status quo, combat biases in the coaching pathway, and foster an inclusive culture in sport to actively advance gender equity in coaching.  

Want to learn more about the current landscape of coaching in Canada? Check out our latest blog post. 

Why is a more equitable coaching landscape beneficial?

Coaches are the most visible and influential leaders in sport. They shape the day-to-day lived experiences of participants and influence the growth and development of sport. 

We can’t be what we don’t see. According to a recent study, women athletes who did enter coaching were 4.1X more likely to stay in coaching if they had a woman as a head coach.⁴ That tells us that representation and role models are integral to retaining women who are already in the field.  

By working to ensure the Canadian sport coaching landscape is more equitable, will we see an increase in women’s participation in coaching and leadership roles, which will help to increase in girls’ participation in sport and physical activity.⁵

That’s why we’ve partnered with the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) to establish the Gender Equity in Coaching Framework and Self-Assessment Tool to identify the key areas for organizational change to improve the conditions for women in coaching.

*Much of the data referenced in this work focuses on the inequities of coaching on a binary gendered basis. Within coaching and sport, there are diverse gender identities and that includes transgender and non-binary individuals. For more information on our position, please see our Position Statement: Trans Inclusion in Sport. 

The Gender Equity in Coaching Framework 

There are multiple intersecting and complex factors that can disrupt the career trajectory for women in coaching. Women coaches are impacted personally and professionally by stereotypes, discrimination and gendered organizational cultures that favour advancement opportunities for their men counterparts.⁶  Even with women’s sport, we see that only 26% of head coaches are women with U SPORTS and the CCAA. Because of this, the sport system suffers as it misses out on the benefits of diversity in perspective, lived experience and approaches that girls and women bring to sport. 

The Gender Equity in Coaching Framework focuses on factors within an organization’s control, guiding sport leaders to meaningful and sustainable changes that will improve the outcome for women in coaching. These include: 

Complete The Gender Equity in Coaching Self-Assessment Tool to determine your organization’s areas of strength and potential areas of improvement to advance gender equity in coaching. 

Resources:

Representation 

• Why Women Coaches Matter – Tucker Centre 

• Benefits of Gender Equity – CWS 

• Diversity and Inclusion in Coaching – CAC 

Governance and Policies

• Gender Equity Policy Template and Implementation Guide – CWS 

• Building Inclusive Governance – A toolkit for not-for-profit boards – Ryerson University 

• Building Inclusive Boards to Achieve Gender Equality – UN 

• Board Diversity Policy Template – Osler 

Strategies and Operations 

• Same Game Online Toolkit – CWS 

• Gender Equity Planning Worksheet – CWS

Coach Development Pathways 

• Women in Coaching – Recruitment and Retention – CAC 

• Athletic Administration Best Practices of Recruitment, Hiring and Retention of Female Collegiate Coaches – Tucker Centre 

• 50 Ways to Fight Gender Bias – Lean In 

• 20 Cognitive Biases That Affect Your Decision Making – Life Hacker  

Capacity Building and Training 

• Gender Equity LENS E-Learning Module – CWS 

• Keeping Girls in Sport E-Learning Module – Jumpstart, CWS, CAC  

• maximize the impact of gender equity, diversity and inclusion training  

• She Belongs: Building Social Connection for Lasting Participation in Sport – CWS 

• Engaging Newcomer Girls & Women: Physical Activity & Sport Handbook – CWS 

• Unconscious Bias Training Module – Canada Research Chairs 

Environment and Culture 

• 10 Ways to Create a Sport Culture for Valuing Women Leaders – Tucker Centre 

• Prevalence of Maltreatment Among Current and Former National Team Athletes – AthletesCAN and UofT 

Programs and Initiatives 

• Female Coach Mentorship Model – CAC, CWS 

• How to Apply a Gender LENS to Decision Making – CWS 

• Communities of Practice: A how-to model for building social learning spaces – CAC 

Funding and Resources 

• NSO Grants: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – CAC  

• WISE Fund Grant – CWS  

• Gender Equity in Recreational Sport Community Grant – CPRA  

• E-Learning on Pay Equity – Pay Equity Commission  

Marketing and Communications 

• Inclusive Language Guide – University of Victoria 

• Communication Plan Worksheet–  CWS 

• Shifting the Narrative About Women Sport Coaches – Tucker Centre 

• A Practical Handbook on Accessible Graphic Design – Accessibility 

• Discussing Trans and Gender-Diverse People: a Media Reference Guide – The 519 

Measuring and Celebrating Success 

• Collecting and Analyzing Data – Reflection – CWS 

• Organizing a Focus Group or Community Consultation – CWS 

• Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Worksheet – CWS 

• Reflecting on Your Findings – CWS 

For more statistics on gender equity in coaching, follow the links below: 

• Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: A review of research 
• Key Considerations for Advancing Women in Coaching 
• The Alberta Women in Sport Leadership Project: A Social Learning Intervention for Gender Equity and Leadership Development 
• Developing female coaches: Strategies from women themselves 

Case Studies  

• The McGill Women in Sport Program,  
• Queen’s University Athletics Department Review 
• Speed Skating Canada Announces Leadership Pilot Project. 

The post Gender Equity in Coaching appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is “Violence that is committed against someone based on their gender identity, gender expression or perceived gender” and can include sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abused, neglect, discrimination or harassment. 

Canadian Women & Sport has partnered with E-Alliance to understand the relationship between gender equity and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in sport. Although research has not investigated the explicit relationship between gender equity and GBV in sport, research outside of sport reveals two perspectives – women as change agents and the power paradox. This infographic analyzes the factors in organizations and sport that may facilitate GBV and how gender equity and more women leading with supportive organization conditions may reduce GBV including key ideas to implement. 

Learn ways to reduce gender-based violence through gender equity in our new tool. 

The post Using Gender Equity as a Tool to Combat Gender-Based Violence in Sport appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Instead, EAT your learning:  Extend, Apply, and Transform to make the most of your online learning and engage in meaningful and lasting learning opportunities.

Extend:
Seek additional learning opportunities to build off existing knowledge.

• List what you are curious to know more about on the topics of gender equity and inclusion. Then seek resources to support further learning using a medium that appeals to you (e.g., podcasts, Twitter, webinars, etc.).
• Make connections. Gender equity, diversity, inclusion and intersectionality are interconnected topics, with vast subject matter that is always evolving. Create a chart of the intersecting relationships between the terms and find resources to learn more. 
• Transfer your knowledge to others. Deliver a presentation to colleagues, friends or family or create an infographic about what you learned.

Apply:
Provide your brain with opportunities to retrieve information and then apply it.

• Find studies or news articles related to gender equity, diversity and inclusion and brainstorm additional discussion points based on your learning.
• Form a small group to formalize and discuss personal reflections.
• Engage in storytelling. Share your learning with a colleague, friend, or family in the form of a story with a start, middle, and end. ¹
• Take action by applying your new knowledge to implement changes at work, at home, and in your community.
  

Transform:
Analyze your own perspective in order to consider and embrace other perspectives and worldviews.

• Connect to your emotions by reflecting on your own experiences or empathizing with the experiences of others.² List your emotions as you reflect and think about how they can guide you in your experiences moving forward.
• Consider power and position. Question who makes decisions and why and disrupt the narrative by challenging accepted norms and suggesting a different way.
• Engage in critical self-reflection and challenge your assumptions and biases. For true growth and behaviour change to occur, you must consider your own values and beliefs to understand how they inform thoughts and actions towards others. ³

It is important to keep in mind that meaningful learning does not happen in a simple, linear process. It is an adventure that can be challenging and even uncomfortable at times and often includes a period of “unlearning”. This is when authentic learning occurs so we encourage you to embrace the journey and get started!

About the author: Tricia Zakaria is completing her Master of Education at the University of New Brunswick with a focus on Instructional Design and a specialization in Adult Education. She is the Director, Programs & Education at Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) and has been working in the non-profit sector developing national education programs for over a decade.

1 Dirksen, J. (2016). Design for How People Learn (2nd ed.). New Riders.

2 Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (1998). The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. Houston: Gulf PublishingCompany.

3 Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of Transformative Education, 1(1), 58-63. doi:10.1177/1541344603252172

The post Maximizing the Impact of Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Training appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

While organizations have much to gain by committing themselves to achieving gender equity, the work it takes to get there can be daunting. Many organizations struggle to understand their gender equity gaps and identify the root causes. Some may lack clarity and confidence in what to prioritize and what steps to take to create real change.

The Solution:

Same Game is a step-by-step online toolkit to help sport leaders at all levels bring their gender equity vision to life. Participants walk through a systematic process for embedding gender equity into their organizations – from creating a vision, to implementing initiatives, to reflecting and revising, and all the steps in between. 

This free, evidence-based model builds upon itself to maintain the connections needed for organizational change. Once completed, participants of the Same Game toolkit will be able to:

• develop effective solutions to engage more women and girls in sport over the long term;
• collect and analyze data to help make strategic decisions;
• get buy-in from key stakeholders like board, staff, coaches, and volunteers, who are instrumental in helping move gender equity projects forward; and,
• communicate goals and assess performance.

The Impact:

Same Game works to help solve the capacity challenges within sport organizations that are navigating gender equity. Many participants report learning new information about gender equity that they can immediately apply to improve their organization.

“Being involved in the Same Game Challenge has been a tremendous experience for our club as we embark on a journey to promote diversity and inclusion. Through the Same Game Challenge, our organization has been given the resources, support and guidance to implement meaningful change at our club. There is power in community and collaboration which is an invaluable opportunity the Same Game Challenge has given us as we network and share best practices with our Alberta sports community.”

Raine Paul, Head Coach Edmonton Tsunami Water Polo Club

“Same Game has given us the tools and support to focus on and improve gender equity in our organization. The Same Game Toolkit has been invaluable in providing a road map to success and the support has given us a safe space to learn and grow. This has been a fabulous process and has already created sustainable change in our organization.”

Paula Mackenzie, Executive Director CALTAF

Not sold yet? Learn more about the benefits of gender equity.

Looking to encourage others to complete Same Game?  Share this infographic (PDF / JPG) summarizing the model and benefits of it!

Access Same Game

Before you proceed, we would appreciate your contact information to let us know who is using the toolkit. We will only contact you for evaluation purposes if you consent below.

As you get started, don’t forget:

• One person can lead the Same Game process, but the toolkit is best used in collaboration with multiple people from the same organization.
• Patience is key.  The toolkit could take a few months to a year to work through.
• To save all downloaded templates and worksheets to your computer so you can review and revise them as needed

Same Game was developed by Canadian Women & Sport with support from Women and Gender Equality Canada. We developed Same Game and piloted the process with 17 local soccer and basketball clubs in Ontario, with the support of a research team from Brock University’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences led by Shannon Kerwin.

The Same Game project was funded by a grant from Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) Canada.

Same Game would not be possible without our partners:

• Ontario Soccer Association
• Ontario Basketball Association
• Brock University’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (Sport Management)

The post Same Game: A Step-By-Step Toolkit to Bring Your Gender Equity Vision to Life appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Intersectionality is important in advancing gender equity in sport because one solution may not work for ALL women and girls.  If we don’t acknowledge this, we risk building more barriers to true equity.  Review a quick summary below:

• Infographic (PDF / JPG)
• Video

And, feel free to share with your networks!

Do you work for a sport organization?  Consider this exercise (PDF / JPG) to determine whether diverse experiences of people in your sport are being represented at the decision-making level.

If you’re interested in learning more, consider taking the Gender Equity LENS, which, in addition to defining foundational concepts, provides a practical model for bringing a gender lens to the work you do in sport – in whatever role you play!

The post What is intersectionality? appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Unconscious bias is not right.  It’s not wrong.  It just is!  But, if we don’t intentionally identify our unconscious bias, we run the risk that our biases impact our decision making, which could lead to unfairness against groups of individuals and harm our pursuits to improve inclusion.  A first step to counter our unconscious bias is to learn more about different types so that you can actively counter your unconscious bias.  Review a quick summary below:

• Infographic (PDF / JPG)
• Video

And, feel free to share with your networks!

If you’re interested in learning more, consider taking the Gender Equity LENS, which, in addition to defining foundational concepts, provides a practical model for bringing a gender lens to the work you do in sport – in whatever role you play!

The post What is unconscious bias? appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

As we look to advance gender equity in sport, we first need to understand what exactly that means.  While it may seem like a typo, there is a distinction between working toward gender equality and working toward gender equity.  For a quick definition, review our:

• Infographic: PDF / JPG
• Video

And, feel free to share with your networks!

If you’re interested in learning more, consider taking the Gender Equity LENS, which, in addition to defining foundational concepts, provides a practical model for bringing a gender lens to the work you do in sport – in whatever role you play!

The post What is Gender Equity? appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

This tool was developed thanks to funding from the Government of Ontario.

The post Gender Equity Policy Template appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Put simply, using a gender lens means accounting for the different ways that different genders might experience the results of your decision. Backed by relevant evidence, Canadian Women & Sport has developed the following guide to help you apply a gender lens to your work.

The post How to Apply A Gender LENS to Decision Making appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

This tool was developed thanks to funding from the Government of Ontario.

The post Gender Equity Committee Terms of Reference appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.