Gender Equity in Coaching

Access the tool: https://geic.womenandsport.ca/

Why is a more equitable coaching landscape beneficial?

Coaches are the most visible and influential leaders in sport. They shape the day-to-day lived experiences of participants and influence the growth and development of sport.

We can’t be what we don’t see. According to a recent study, women athletes who did enter coaching were 4.1X more likely to stay in coaching if they had a woman as a head coach. That tells us that representation and role models are integral to retaining women who are already in the field.

By working to ensure the Canadian sport coaching landscape is more equitable, will we see an increase in women’s participation in coaching and leadership roles, which will help to increase in girls’ participation in sport and physical activity.

The Gender Equity in Coaching Framework

There are multiple intersecting and complex factors that can disrupt the career trajectory for women in coaching. Women coaches are impacted personally and professionally by stereotypes, discrimination and gendered organizational cultures that favour advancement opportunities for their men counterparts. Even with women’s sport, we see that only 26% of head coaches are women in Canadian post-secondary schools. Because of this, the sport system suffers as it misses out on the benefits of diversity in perspective, lived experience and approaches that girls and women bring to sport.

The Gender Equity in Coaching Framework focuses on factors within an organization’s control, guiding sport leaders to meaningful and sustainable changes that will improve the outcome for women in coaching. These include:

•  Governance and policies
• Strategies and operations
• Coach recruitment and advancement
• Capacity building and training
• Environment and culture
• Programs and initiatives
• Funding and resources
• Marketing and communications
• Measuring and celebrating success