Increasing the visibility of girls and women in program advertising can help demonstrate that your organization is inclusive. Research shows that it is important that imagery includes girls and women of different backgrounds and body shapes and sizes to help ensure that all women and girls can picture themselves participating in your sport.
Use double quotes to find documents that include the exact phrase: "aerodynamic AND testing"
Use double quotes to find documents that include the exact phrase: "aerodynamic AND testing"
In the realm of sport there is a notable gap in research regarding the complex challenges that elite female athletes face when navigating sport environments for pregnant or postpartum athletes. That’s where this recent study comes in to uncover insights from coaches and healthcare professionals engaged with elite athletes during pregnancy and postpartum periods, aiming to advance research, policy, and cultural shifts.
Engaging in consistent physical activity throughout pregnancy offers a myriad of benefits. A recent study revealed that tailoring exercise routines to match a woman’s pre-pregnancy fitness level can effectively mitigate various pregnancy-related disorders, including gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, anxiety, prenatal depression, and numerous other health conditions.
Engaging in sports can empower women to become better leaders. Beyond physical benefits, sports foster teamwork, communication, and resilience, translating into effective leadership qualities. Athletic experiences empower women to navigate professional challenges with confidence, challenging societal norms and inspiring leadership development.
Amidst the cost of living crisis, women and girls encounter barriers to sports participation. Research from Women in Sport shows a widening gender activity gap, with 35% reducing activity due to financial constraints. Urgent action is needed to address economic, societal, and facility challenges for equitable access to the lifelong benefits of sport.
Within the realm of sports academia, a notable gap exists in the examination of injuries specifically among female elite athletes in winter sports. This study addresses this gap by conducting a recent and comprehensive literature search focused on injury occurrences in alpine skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, and cross-country skiing. The most common location injury was the knee among skiers and ski jumpers, and the incidence of severe ACL events was 7.6 per 100 ski racers per season in female alpine skiers. Snowboarders and cross-country skiers were more affected by ankle and foot injuries.
Women are often underrepresented in leadership roles in sports. As such, there is a need to build organizational capacity for women leaders. Researchers suggest that some best practices for organizations include creating family-friendly activities that encourage women to become more involved in an organization and partnering with external organizations to bring new women and girls on board.
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 ago women’s soccer in Canada was almost non-existent although there were signs of a growing interest among children and youth (Hall, 2004). Scattered girls’ teams began to appear in the late 1960s, which had the immediate effect of attracting mothers, who developed an interest in the game by becoming team managers and league administrators. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, opportunities for girls to play soccer continued to proliferate in Canada.
Jumping ahead to the summer of 2023, Canada competed in the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the eighth time. That followed on the heels of the Canadian Women’s National Team winning the gold medal in soccer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2022, Canada Soccer reported that of 575,768 youth players in the country, 38% were female, and today, soccer is still the fastest growing sport among Canadian youth (Canada Soccer, 2022).
The phenomenal growth in girls’ and women’s soccer in Canada is just one example of how significantly women’s sport has changed over the past 5 decades.
It is not possible to cover all aspects of women’s sport between 1973 and 2023 in this short article. Instead, I examine themes that are significant and still require our attention and diligence, namely, feminism, leadership, professional sport, and finally safe and inclusive sport. Others might have chosen different topics.
Feminism and women’s sport
What has been the role of feminism, broadly defined as the belief in full social, economic, and political equality for women, in creating change in Canadian women’s sport over the past 50 years? Although second-wave feminism emerged in Canada in the 1960s, it did not have a significant impact on sport until the 1970s when it became clear that unless women acted, they would be routinely sidelined.
Also, from a feminist perspective, the world of sport was often dismissed as male, competitive, and not crucial to the widespread effort of improving the status of women in Canada. This changed in 1981 with the formation of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport (CAAWS), which provided a feminist and safe place, where controversial and difficult topics, such as homophobia in women’s sport, could be addressed. Also important was the establishment of the federal government’s Women’s Program in Fitness and Amateur Sport. For more about this history, see Demers, Greaves, Kirby, & Lay, 2014.
The question now, more than 50 years after second-wave feminism entered the Canadian consciousness, is whether it remains a guiding factor in bringing about change within the sport system?
CAAWS, for example, was rebranded in 2020 as Canadian Women & Sport, and most frequently uses the phrase “gender equity” in its policy and promotional material. Over the past few years, there have been several parliamentary and governmental studies with subsequent reports concerning Canadian women and girls in sport. These include the Government of Canada’s Actively engaged: A policy on sport for women and girls (2009) and the Women and Girls in Sport Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (2017).
The most comprehensive report, released in 2018, was the result of the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Sport Committee (FPTSC) Work Group on Women and Girls in Sport. It lays out a series of outcomes and accountability measures that, if followed, should ultimately result in “all women and girls being equally and equitably represented, recognized, and served across all facets of Canadian sport” (FPTSC Work Group on Women and Girls in Sport, 2018, p. 12).
These studies and reports provide a wealth of useful information, especially about how to bring about change in sport for girls and women. However, it is not clear who is making certain that recommendations are tracked and ultimately followed.
Women in sport leadership
Beyond participation, women have made strides in leadership roles within the Canadian sports sector, and the impact of female leaders has played an essential role in advancing gender equality in sports governance.
Beginning at the top, since 1961 there have been 34 federal ministers responsible for sport and physical activity, 10 of whom have been women, and half of these were appointed in the last 16 years.
Looking at the latest statistics for leadership in federally funded sport organizations in Canada is encouraging. A 2022 snapshot of National Sport Organizations (NSOs), national Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs), and Canadian Sport Institutes (CSIs), representing 90 organizations in total, showed that women comprised 41% of board membership, 38% of board chairs, and 47% of the CEOs. The highest percentage of women CEOs was among the MSOs (62%) and the lowest (29%) was in the CSIs (Canadian Women & Sport, 2022).
Similar statistics from the early 1980s showed that women comprised approximately one-third of the volunteer sport sector and only 26% of the professional sector (executive directors, technical directors, program coordinators, and national coaches). There were more women involved in the MSOs at the professional level (47%), but they represented only 18% of the volunteer sector (Hall & Richardson, 1982, p. 63). Therefore, over the past 40 years there has been considerable improvement, yet there is still some way to go to achieve gender equity.
As for women coaches, especially at the national level, the situation is not as promising. For example, of the 131 Canadian coaches at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, approximately 18% were female, which was down from 20% at the Rio Summer Olympics 4 years earlier. On the other hand, 47% of the Paralympic coaches in Tokyo were women. Forty years ago, 60% of women playing on a Canadian university team were coached by a man (Hall & Richardson, 1982, p. 62). Still today, most university coaches are men except for assistant coaching positions on women’s sport teams, held mostly by women (Finn, 2022).
More interventions are needed, like the Alberta Women in Sport Leadership Impact Program, by creating equitable coaching and leadership opportunities (Culver, Kraft, Din, & Cayer, 2019). While women continue to make outstanding contributions to Canada’s sport sector but remain significantly under-represented in coaching, there are organizations like the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) that are working towards helping more women coach at all levels of sport through mentorship programs.
Professional women’s sport
When looking at the landscape 50 years ago, the opportunity for sport to provide women athletes with continuous paid employment and to pursue it as a career was next to nil. Golf, tennis, and figure skating were seasonal at best along with limited, semi-professional opportunities in sports like marathon swimming, roller derby, and car racing. There was also little potential for successful women athletes to earn money through endorsements and commercial ventures. As late as 1998, a parliamentary study of sport in Canada, which had a significant section on professional sport, made no mention of women (House of Commons, 1998). In other words, women’s professional sport was seen as unimportant.
While it is still not possible today for most Canadian women professional athletes, except in tennis, golf, and possibly figure skating, to make a living exclusively through their sport, there are encouraging signs that this will change. Especially in team sports like ice-hockey and soccer.
Even though a recent study argued that the current market for professional women’s sport in Canada is constrained by the lack of access to sustained professional sport properties like leagues, associations, or teams; this is slowly changing (Canadian Women & Sport, 2023). For example, a new North American women’s professional ice-hockey league is slated to begin in January 2024, and there are hopes of a Canadian women’s pro-soccer league by 2025. Canadian Tire has also announced a new multi-million-dollar Women’s Sport Initiative, earmarking a minimum of 50% of their sponsorship dollars towards women’s sport by 2026.
More high-profile events showcasing professional women athletes have also helped. For example, on May 23, 2023, the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association played the first-ever WNBA exhibition game held in Canada at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. It attracted a sell-out crowd and enthusiastic chatter about the expansion of the WNBA to Toronto.
A week prior, also in Toronto, the espnW Summit, hosted by Canadian Tire, brought together global “industry leaders, influencers, and disrupters” for an immersive 1-day session to push boundaries, spark action, and effect change. Attended almost entirely by women, it was a day full of engaging discussion and reflection into the advancements and opportunities for women in sport, leadership, and business (espnW Summit Canada, 2023). There was also considerable focus on the potential for women’s professional team sport in Canada.
Although these investments are encouraging and needed, media coverage in its various forms is also essential to the continued development and growth of women’s professional sport in Canada. While it has improved over the past 50 years with the help of women’s hockey and soccer, there is still a major imbalance between the reporting of men’s and women’s sports.
Safe and inclusive sport
Beginning in the early 1980s, the attitude towards sexual abuse in Canadian social institutions was changing from silence to scrutiny, reconciliation, and punishment, which encouraged researchers to study the problem in sport, and journalists to profile known cases and incidents, especially in women’s sport (see, for example, Kirby, Greaves, & Hankivsky, 2000, and Robinson, 2002).
By 1996, all NSOs receiving federal funding were required to develop a harassment policy, address complaints, and report annually to Sport Canada as a condition of funding. However, after 20 years, it was clear this self-monitoring policy was not working. In 2022, this prompted a new wave of athlete activism, resulting in the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner responsible for administering the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport.
Only time will tell if these new mechanisms are enough to stop the abuse. At its core, and as one researcher put it: “The safe sport movement is about optimizing the sport experience for all – athletes, coaches, sport administrators, officials, support staff, and others in the sport environment” (Kerr, 2021).
Not only must sport be safe, it must also be inclusive.
According to the latest census data, over half of Canada’s population (50.9%) identify as women. One in four Canadians identify as BIPOC (Black peoples, Indigenous peoples, and peoples of colour) and 1.7 million of these identify as Indigenous. Further, depending on different data sources, between 3% and 13% of Canadians identify as LGBTQ2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, or Two-Spirit).
The Canadian population of today, as compared to 50 years ago, includes more diverse individuals with intersectional identities. The reality is that low income and racialized persons, ethnic and religious minorities, newcomers, sexual minorities, and youth experiencing disabilities demonstrate the lowest levels of involvement and/or enjoyment in sport. This is particularly true for adolescent girls (Pegoraro & Moore, 2022; Hagger & Giles, 2022). Diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canadian sport means that all individuals should be treated with dignity and respect, and everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources.
Conclusion
By 2035, the Government of Canada is committed to achieving gender equality in Canadian sport at every level. In my opinion, this is unlikely to happen without a collaborative effort among governments and organizations devoted to bettering women’s sport. For example, Canadian Women & Sport partners with sport organizations, governments, and leaders to build better sport through gender equity. Their vision is to create an equitable and inclusive Canadian sport and physical activity system that empowers girls and women – as active participants and leaders – within and through sport. It remains to be seen whether, in little more than a decade, gender equality will have been accomplished in Canadian sport.
Sport has the potential to foster girls’ healthy development, leading to outcomes such as enhanced self-esteem, physical health, and mental well-being. Sport can reduce adverse health outcomes for girls, such as depression (Canadian Women & Sport, 2022; Eime et al., 2013). Yet in Canada, girls are dropping out of sport at alarming rates, with recent findings highlighting how half of girls dropout of sport by adolescence (Canadian Women & Sport; 2022).
Girls who do not participate in sport are more likely to be inactive and develop unhealthy lifestyles, such as increased sedentary behaviour and screen time (Merkel, 2013). The search for initiatives to reduce barriers to participation and improve retention in quality sport for girls is therefore becoming increasingly popular.
Any reference to girls or women in this blog refers to those who identify with the girl/women gender binary and the authors fully support equity and inclusion along the broad spectrum of gender identity. Academic references used in this piece are the most recent, which highlights the need for more research in this specific area. This article will look at several key recommendations and tips to help keep girls in sport.
Role models versus mentors: What’s the difference?
Role models are individuals who set an example for others and can be someone an individual does not know personally nor has ever come in contact with like celebrities or professional athletes (Kearney & Levine, 2020). As such, anyone can serve as a role model so long as a person chooses them as one.
Mentors are often non-familial individuals with experience and knowledge who serve as role models, provide guidance, and assist in their mentee’s development (Rhodes & Roffman, 2003). To be a mentor, one must establish a close, personal relationship with their mentee and explicitly act as a trusted advisor to the individual they oversee for a sustained period of time (Kearney & Levine, 2020).
Existing sport research has predominately focused on role models for girls in sport (Ronkainen et al., 2019). However, findings of a review of sport role models and their impact on physical activity participation showed that the most effective programs involved the development of long-term, mentor-like relationships (for example, relationships that were sustained once a program finished; Payne et al., 2003).
Based on those comparisons, there is value in shifting the focus from role models to mentors to better understand how sport-based mentorship influences outcomes for girls in this context.
Sport-based mentorship in action
The application of mentorship for girls in the sport environment offers opportunities for girls to form positive, supportive relationships with trusted adult figures (Holt et al., 2017). Additionally, sport programs that allow girls to form quality relationships with adults or mentors are said to be more effective for enhancing development than programs without this element (Bean et al., 2015) .
Mentors can also convey important life skills and values like leadership and confidence to girls through storytelling. It can lead to knowledge transfer, the fostering of self-concept, promotion of positive behavioural outcomes, and sharing of similar feelings and values (Hallmann et al., 2021). These aspects are important to girls as they can translate directly to both sport and non-sport areas of their lives (Overbye & Wagner, 2014).
Tips for developing sport-based mentorship initiatives for girls
While research that explicitly explores mentorship for girls in sport is limited, it still can be said that sport represents a context where many elements of mentorship can be readily transferred.
Looking at findings from limited work by Bean & Forneris, 2017 and Bruening et al., 2009, along with recommendations from the broader youth mentorship literature, the following can be adapted for girls-focused sport settings are:
- Match mentors and mentees based on similar interests, not just looks or availability. The quality of the mentoring relationship is considered more critical for program success than the mere availability or quantity of mentors (Machida-Kosuga, 2021). For instance, if two individuals both play the same sport or position, they will be able to bond over their mutual interests easier. Matching should focus on quality, not quantity.
- Prioritize the dose and duration of the mentoring relationship. Aim for a minimum of three months (12 months is ideal). Relationships take time to develop; within these months, include ample opportunities for matches to connect consistently (for example, once per week) to prioritize relationship-building. Additionally, strive to use a combination of sport activities (like skills and drills) and non-sport activities (for example, discussions) for matches to deepen their bonds through skill-building.
- Facilitate a safe space in the mentoring program and relationship. Girls are more prone to co-rumination in their relationships, meaning they strongly value the intimate, emotional benefits of mentorship (Spendelow et al., 2017). Encourage mentors to be open and vulnerable with their mentees while not shying away from difficult sport-related topics. For example, mentors can share struggles they’ve experienced as women athletes with tips on how girls can navigate similar obstacles in their athletic journeys.
- Engage in frequent monitoring and evaluation of the program and mentoring relationships to be able to adapt quickly and adjust, if necessary. Girls are more negatively impacted by poor mentoring relationships and programs than their boy counterparts (Bogat et al., 2013). This means program staff should continuously check-in with both mentors and mentees throughout a program cycle. Check-ins can include monthly logs, mini feedback forms, or email correspondence with caregivers or the mentee.
Concluding Remarks
Mentorship holds potential for being a powerful avenue to address existing gaps related to girls’ advancement and retention in quality sport. Sport-based women mentors can offer a unique understanding of the physical, psychological, and emotional changes girls experience in sport and are well-positioned to help them overcome some of these barriers that prompt girls to drop out of sport (O’Reilly et al., 2018). This would suggest that sport organizations should consider exploring ways to implement mentorship-based programming and initiatives for girls in their communities. Of the programs that currently exist, ongoing monitoring and assessment should be conducted to build an understanding of how mentorship influences girls’ experiences and outcomes within sport settings.
This blog post and associated research by Hummell are possible due to support from a joint Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral and Sport Participation Research Initiative grant.
Self-compassion can be a valuable internal resource for women athletes as they navigate the challenges of competitive sport. Self-compassion is related to greater goal progress and effective use of coping strategies, and it benefits the physiological response to stress (Ceccereli et coll., 2019; Johnson et coll., in press; Mosewich et coll., 2019; Röthlin et coll., 2021; Wilson et coll., 2019). In this blog, Karissa Johnson and Leah Ferguson provide an overview of the benefits of cultivating self-compassion for women athletes and how their research is building on past knowledge.