Addressing gender inequities in Canadian university coaching
Over the last 50 years, significant progress has been made in access and opportunities for girls and women to participate at all levels of sport in Canada. Despite this progress, the number of women in coaching remains alarmingly low (Banwell et al., 2019; Burton, 2019; Serpell et al., 2023). This is particularly true in the…
Looking back to go forward: 50 years of Canadian women’s sport
U SPORTS 2020 Swimming Championships at Saanich Commonwealth Place, Victoria, BC, February 2020 (Photo: U SPORTS) Looking back over the last 50 years of women’s sport in Canada, it’s amazing how we have progressed to bring equity, stability, and opportunity, not necessarily in all aspects of sport, but certainly in many. For example, 50 years…
Using data to plan and deliver programs with gender equity in mind
This blog post recaps the second webinar in the 4‑part Engaging Girls and Women in Sport mini-series. SIRC and Canadian Women & Sport co-hosted the mini-series, which you can access and learn more about by visiting our SIRC Expert Webinars page. — With the rise of big data and analytics, organizations across all industries are…
Beyond the medals: The health of retired high performance female athletes
Swimmer Summer McIntosh. Fencer Jessica Guo. Artistic swimmer Rosalie Boissonneault. These teenagers were among the youngest Canadian competitors in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Their intensive training will likely continue for many years to come as they search for even more success in their respective sports. But what happens later, when these female athletes put…
How biological sex and gender affect concussion risk and management
Highlights Concussion recovery depends on many factors, including biological factors (for example, anatomy) and gender-based factors (for example, societal norms in sport). Research shows that female athletes have a higher risk of concussion than male athletes, male and female athletes experience concussions in different ways, and female athletes may take longer than male athletes to…
An Official’s Journey to the FIFA Women’s World Cup
Officials are considered by some to be the unsung heroes of sport, responsible for upholding the rules and intentions of sport. SIRC sat down with Marie-Soleil Beaudoin – Canadian soccer referee and instructor of physiology and biophysics at Dalhousie University – to talk about her journey from the community soccer field to officiating at the…
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…
Lift like a Girl – Weightlifting for Women
With the ever increasing popularity of Crossfit, obstacle course racing (Spartan, Warrior Dash and mud runs) and a few great marketing campaigns – check out #liftlikeagirl and This Girl Can – women are heading to their local gym and hitting the weight room more than ever before. Weightlifting is one of the best ways to…
Why should women try powerlifting?
If someone said to you that they knew something you could do that would be empowering, challenging, engaging and would change your body composition – would you consider it? Powerlifting, often confused with Olympic lifting, is an individualized sport in which competitors attempt to lift as much weight as possible for one repetition in the…