Women’s World Cup 2019

The Women’s World Cup has amazed, inspired and delighted us…while also providing a platform for players to draw attention to persisting inequities in the sport. Today’s SIRC blog provides an overview of some of the key issues raised by the players, and provides recommendations for influencing positive change in sport, whether you’re committed to achieving…

Women’s World Cup 2019 – About More than Just Soccer

Since June 7, 2019, televisions, radios and mobile phones around the world have been tuned in to the Women’s World Cup. And while the play on the field has amazed, inspired and delighted us, the Women’s World Cup has also provided an opportunity for social transformation. Players are speaking out against gender discrimination in soccer,…

Curling Canada gender equity action

CAAWS’ 2019 Women in Sport Leadership Snapshot revealed that 4 in 10 national sport and multisport service organizations have less than 30% women on their boards of directors. According to Catalyst, the 30% threshold represents a critical mass at which the perspectives of women are more likely to be heard around the board table. Curling…

Governance & Gender Equity

A review conducted by Canadian Securities Administrators and supported by the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance demonstrated that boards of directors with a written policy on gender equity had a higher percentage of women than those without (Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, 2018). Learn how Curling Canada, Ontario Soccer and Triathlon NB integrated gender equity…

Gender Equity Research Hub

In 2018, the Government of Canada set a target to achieve gender equity at every level of sport by 2035. Today and tomorrow, SIRC is excited to lead discussion with sport researchers, government representatives and members of the Canadian sport sector to inform the development of a Canadian Gender Equity in Sport Research Hub to…

Red Deer Declaration

In February 2019, federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for sport committed in principle to developing a “strategy tailored to their own jurisdiction so that boards of directors of funded sport organizations reach [gender] parity by December 2024.” Known as the “Red Deer Declaration”, this raises the bar for national and provincial/territorial sport organizations to…

Gender Equity is Good Governance – Lessons from the Sport Sector

The gender makeup of sport, and sport leadership, is changing. In 2018, the Government of Canada made it clear that gender equity is a priority for all levels of sport, setting a target to achieve gender equality by 2035. In February, as part of the Red Deer Declaration, the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible…

Budget 2019

The Federal Government’s Budget 2019 announced $30 million over five years, and $6 million per year ongoing, to enable Canada’s national sport organizations to promote accessible, ethical, equitable and safe sport.

Women in Sport Leadership 2019

Gender Equity is key to achieving a world class sport system – research shows that organizations with the most gender diversity outperform those with the least. Research conducted by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) shows that the overall number of women on boards is trending up,…

IWD 2019

In celebration of International Women’s Day, CAAWS released its new Women in Sport Leadership Snapshot. The evidence is clear – organizations with gender diverse boards are more effective. Within sport, 47% of national sport organizations (NSOs) and multisport service organizations (MSOs) have a documented commitment to a gender equitable board, yet 93% indicated intentions to…