Subjects: WOM, CFG
Minister Duncan Officially Launches Discussions with the Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport
Today, champions of the Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities' Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport shared their views on how to increase the participation of women and girls in sport
GATINEAU, June 20, 2018 /CNW/ - All Canadians should have the opportunity to get involved and excel in sport, regardless of gender, age or ability. They should be able to do so in an environment free from harassment, abuse and discrimination.
Today, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, officially kicked off her Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport. The Working Group's champions shared their experiences, perspectives and insights on strategies to increase participation and retention of women and girls in all areas of sport.
The Working Group will meet four to five times from now to December 2018 and will discuss topics that include:
- Delivering programs and initiatives specifically designed for women and girls in sport;
- Addressing gender-based violence in sport, including sexual harassment; and
- Increasing the representation of women in sport leadership positions.
Members of the Working Group will review existing research and data, share personal experiences, discuss the challenges faced by women and girls in sport, examine issues that may affect participation, and propose ideas, approaches and strategies for eliminating barriers and increasing participation.
A summary of discussions of each meeting will be available on the Working Group website, and Canadians are invited to share their feedback via an online form.
In Budget 2018, the Government of Canada announced a target to achieve gender equity in sport at every level by 2035. This included an initial commitment of $30 million over three years to support data and research into innovative practices to promote women and girls' participation in sport, and to support national sport organizations in promoting greater inclusion of women and girls in all facets of sport.
Yesterday, Minister Duncan announced stronger measures to eliminate harassment in the Canadian sport system, including new provisions in funding agreements to support eligible sport organizations in fostering healthy and safe workplace environments.
Quotes
"Achieving gender equity in sport by 2035 is not only about the number of males and females being involved in all aspects of sport; it is also about ensuring that all voices are heard to better understand the needs, challenges and barriers faced by women and girls in sport. I have gathered 12 exceptional champions who are ready to work together to advance the Canadian sport system, which will ultimately better serve the needs of women and girls in sport."
?The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
"I am honoured and excited about this opportunity to advance this urgent and important work. We made enormous strides in ensuring that women and girls have equal and fair opportunities, but there is still much to be done. Particularly, we need to eliminate barriers and gender-based violence, put more women into leadership positions, and ensure much fairer and non-sexist coverage in the media."
?Bruce Kidd, Member of the Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport
"One of the reasons why I joined this working group is for athletes to no longer feel alone when dealing with issues such as harassment and abuse. I am honoured to be part of this working group and want to bring a positive contribution."
?Waneek Horn-Miller, Member of the Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport
Quick Facts
Although many girls take part in sport in their early years, reports show significant declines in sport participation in the transition to adolescence, with a sharper decline in girls' participation rates than boys.
While women and girls make up half of Canada's population, females take part in sport at lower rates than males. Research by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity shows that 79 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls participate in sport, but adolescent girls tend to drop out of sport at a much higher rate than boys. As girls enter adolescence, their overall participation rate falls 22 percentage points, and school sport participation drops by almost 26 points.
Women make up only 26.3 percent and 38 percent, respectively, of board members in national sport organizations (NSOs) and multisport service organizations. The proportions are much lower when it comes to board chair positions.
According to data from Sport Canada's Sport Funding and Accountability Framework, from 2012 to 2016, 30 percent of the 706 total major official positions of NSOs were held by women in both winter and summer sports. Mainstream sports reported that 30 percent of the major official positions were held by women, out of a total of 598 positions. Sports for athletes with a disability (AWAD) reported that 37 percent of major official positions were held by women. Of the 33 major official positions reported by NSOs servicing both mainstream athletes and AWAD, none were held by women.
The Working Group will discuss the challenges faced by women and girls in coaching, as the percentage of female Olympic and Paralympic national team coaches has always been too low. Canada's Olympic and Paralympic national team coaches are overwhelmingly male. At the London 2012 Olympic Games, 20.43 percent of national team coaches were women. This dropped to 9.20 percent for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games. Similarly, the percentage of female Paralympic national team coaches was low, at 11.76 percent in 2012 and 9.09 percent in 2018.
The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games were the most inclusive international games in history: the first such games to achieve gender equality by having the same number of medal events (133) for women and men.
Related Products
Associated Links
Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport
Backgrounder: Biographies of the Working Group Members
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
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