Making strides toward equality

graphic text reads: women's sport is rising. credit UN Women

Overview

  • Gender Equality Week (GEW) is a Canadian initiative. It was first celebrated in 2018.
  • The fourth week of September is designated at GEW each year.
  • GEW 2024 takes place from September 22nd-28th.
  • This year's theme is Unlocking Potential: Economic Power Through Gender Equality.
  • The importance of achieving gender equality is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goal #5. To learn more about the targets and aims click here.

Gender Equality Week is an opportunity to celebrate the progress we’ve made, raise awareness on the contributions of women towards equality as well as reflect on the work that remains. Start a conversation on socials celebrating gender equality using #GenderEqualityWeek.

Gender Equality & Sports

Did you know that the 2024 Paris Olympics made historic steps towards achieving gender parity?

table showing participation of female athletes olympics starting in Paris 1900 with 2.2% women to Paris 2024 50%

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) named the 2024 Paris Games the #genderequalolympics. There were 10,500 athlete spots available with half designated for men and half for women. The schedule was deliberately crafted to balance the number of women’s and men’s events held each day to ensure that women athletes were visible.

If you compare these numbers to the last time Paris hosted the Olympics–when only 135 women competed out of more than 3,000 athletes–things have come along way! Of course, the reality is far more complex. There is still work to be done to ensure that equality goes beyond the sheer number of Olympic competitors.

Gender equality in sports matter

Sport has the power to change lives and drive gender equality by teaching women and girls of all ages about teamwork, self-reliance, resilience and confidence. Participating in sports at the recreation level benefits physical and mental health as well as positively impacts overall quality of life.

Gender equity in sport is both necessary and beneficial for increasing female participation in sport and improving performance in sport governance. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2023, progress in closing gender gaps results in more growth, innoivation and resilience for countries.

By adolescence, half of all girls are not participating in sports even though over 90% of girls believe sport benefits their physical and mental health (The Rally Report, 2022). There are several barriers facing girls in sport and contribute to this concerning trend. This includes lack of acces, social stigm and lack of positive role models.

  • Lack of access is one of the main reasons why girls do not play, or stop playing, sports. Free school and community teams often prioritize boy's teams leaving limited opportunities for girls (not enough coaches, limited gym space/equipment, etc.). As a result, girls and their families must look for options elsewhere, which usually include additional fees and complications (transportation, scheduling, etc.) that can be insurmountable.

  • Social stigma plays a role in girls playing sports as gender stereotyping–from teachers, parents, coaches, peers, and social media–undermines their lives from a very young age. Girls are told that they are “sensitive” and “delicate”, they are told not to get dirty or be daring. These underlying narratives may make girls feel uncomfortable trying sports, which leads to a lack of skills development and low confidence.

Ilona Maher, bronze medal women's rugby player with Team USA, is the cover model for the Sports Illustrated September digital swimsuit issue. This choice disrupts the typical narrow beauty standards for women as it showcases a woman with a powerful, athletic build. This is a good step, but more diversity in athletic bodies in the media would be significant for girls of all ages.

  • Lack of positive role models can also have a hugely negative impact on girls continuing in athletics. Girls are constantly bombarded with images of external beauty that don’t fit with that of a strong female athlete. In addition, girls are coached by predominantly male staff. This lack of female representation in coaching has a significant impact on their experiences.

Group photo at the first Shoot to Inspire basketball camp

2024 Outstanding Take Action Project Award recipient, Peyton Kehler, tackled these issues by creating Shoot to Inspire, a basketball camp for girls led by all-female coaching staff. This camp is a safe space for girls and young women to find community within sports and increase their skills and confidence. Learn more about Shoot to Inspire click here.

It is important to note that barriers to sports become higher and more prevalent when using an intersectional lens (wondering what we mean by intersectionality? Click here to learn more). Ethnicity, religion, gender expression, sexual orientation, age and income are all factors that can determine how someone experiences sports. One solution to improve gender equality in sport won’t work for all girls, women and gender-diverse people. Let’s take a big picture approach and be proactive to help girls and women of all ages feel safe and welcome in sport.

How can you support women and girls in sport?

  • Are you a sports fan? Support women and girls by going to their games! Watch a University of Manitoba Bisons women’s game, follow Canadian sensation, Brooke Henderson on the golf course, and save up to see the new Toronto WNBA team coming for the 2026 season!
  • Are you a female or gender-diverse person? Volunteer to coach a team and be a positive role model for girls and gender-diverse youth in your community. Sport Manitoba knows how important female mentorship is, find courses and resources click here.
  • Play sports! Join a team and don’t let your gender identity hold you back from having fun! There are options to sign up as an individual to make it easier. Check out Ultimate frisbee with MODS, they have beginner and women's leagues, and Jam.

About the photos

Top photo: a female basketball player at Shoot to Inspire camp, credit Shoot to Inspire.

Second photo: Graphic reads Women's sport is rising, #ChangeTheGame, by UN Women.

Third photo: Table showing participation of female athletes at each Olympic Games, credit Olympics.com

Last photo: Group photo at Shoot to Inspire basketball camp with Peyton Kehler, credit Shoot to Inspire.