Realising the Goal: Strategies

Done

Priority

1, 2, 3

Time

S,M,L

Goal 1.1: Develop gender equity policies that will improve operations and attitudes within the organisation.

• Develop and widely distribute a policy statement on gender equity.
• Make a public, high-profile commitment to implement gender equity programs.
• Establish a board or executive position (with appropriate support) responsible for gender equity.
• Assign staff resources to assist in the development and monitoring of a gender equity policy and plan for the organisation.
• Ensure that gender equity is a part of the organisation's vision, mission, constitution, byelaws, strategic plans, and other foundational documents.
• Develop an educational program to provide staff, administrators, coaches, athletes, and officials with the necessary tools and motivation to implement the gender equity plan.
• Adopt a policy requiring gender-neutral language and a balance of female and male images in all publications, videos and advertisements.
• Adopt policies on harassment applicable to volunteer and paid administrators, officials, coaches, and athletes. Clearly describe the complaint process, disciplinary actions and appeal procedures.
• Establish a neutral and fair arbitration process to review issues related to sex discrimination in your organisation.

Goal 1.2: Establish hiring and recruitment practices that will increase the number of women participating at all levels of your organisation.

• Give preference to hiring women when applicants are equally qualified and women are under-represented in the organisation.
• Include a balance of women and men on all hiring and nominating committees.
• Value life experiences, such as volunteer work or household management, as valid qualifications in the determination of employment.
• Inform female athletes of paid and volunteer opportunities available within your sport
• Advertise positions in locations and media that women visit and read.
• Encourage women applicants by describing your sport organisation as an equal opportunity employer.
• Consider flexible work schedules and/or job-sharing opportunities to encourage women to remain in or return to your organisation.
• Whenever possible, ensure women candidates are short-listed.

Goal 1.3: Facilitate the return to sport of retired athletes.

• Send information regularly to women athletes who leave your sport.
• Invite athletes to events and/or approach them to perform tasks that will encourage a return to your sport.

Goal 1.4: Establish research activities to support gender equity goals.

• Collect gender-based statistics on participants, athletes and leaders as a way of determining patterns and trends.
• Keep research in a databank and communicate results in a timely manner.
• Establish new goals based on findings.

Goal 1.5: Create and improve support services to decrease the barriers limiting female participation.

• Provide funds and services for child care or elder care for meetings and competitions.
• Provide transportation and registration subsidies.
• Ensure facilities are safe and accessible for women.

2. Leadership

Goal 2.1: Create equal opportunities for women to assume leadership roles in sport.

•    Ensure that women and men have an equal number of positions on all policy and decision-making committees. Adopt a goal of 40% of underrepresented gender in all leadership positions and establish a timetable for meeting the goal.

•    Limit the number of years a person can sit on a committee or be elected to an office. Discourage the holding of multiple positions in order to increase opportunities for others.

•    Recruit a pool of qualified women available for leadership positions in both technical and administrative areas.

•    Establish recruitment programs to attract ex-athletes and other women to positions of responsibility in your organisation.

•    Promote women to international sport federations.  

Goal 2.2: Offer women opportunities for professional development in the area of leadership.

•    Allocate professional development and apprenticeship funds to enable women to advance to more senior volunteer and paid positions.

•    Include special measures to ensure that females are receiving educational opportunities that allow them access to positions of influence, (paid and volunteer).

•    Assist females in developing and implementing career plans; provide career path information explaining opportunities.

•    Provide females with apprenticeship programs and mentoring opportunities.

•    Encourage women to become head coaches of girls’ and women’s teams.

•    Encourage women to become qualified coaches and officials.

• Establish a "job shadow" program in which inexperienced women can observe the work of women in leadership positions in administration, coaching and officiating.
• Ensure leaders learn about gender equity issues such as discrimination, power relationships, harassment and homophobia.

Goal 3.1: Ensure equitable allocation of resources for girls and women in physical activity and sport.

•  Provide girls and women with equitable funds, facilities, coaching, time, space and equipment to participate and compete. 
• Use equal opportunity as a mandatory criterion for disbursement of any public or private funds within your organisation. Allocate equal proportions of funds to women’s and men's competitive teams.
• Ensure that human resources (staff and volunteer) are allocated equitably.
• Provide girls and women with funds (if necessary) to ensure that they have equal opportunities.
• Provide females with subsidy funds to ensure that they have safe transportation and affordable membership fees.
• Ensure that sponsors support both women's and men's programs equally.      
• Ensure that prize money available for women's and men's competitions is equal.

Goal 4.1: Create awareness of the programming needs of girls and women and increase the number and variety of programs for them.

• Solicit the opinions of female participants, athletes and leaders and develop programs to meet these needs and interests.
• Hire women and select female volunteers to provide programming for girls and women and act as positive examples, e.g., instructors and coaches.
• Schedule activities at times and places convenient for girls and women, including prime time.
• Implement special measures or additional programs, when necessary, until girls and women are equally represented at all levels in your sport.
• Ensure that programs are offered in locations that are safe for girls and women.
• Provide skill development opportunities to those who require and want it.

Goal 4.2: Develop programs designed to recruit women into areas of sport.

• Introduce programs to encourage females to enter non-traditional sports or to enter areas of your sport where women are under-represented, such as officiating, coaching and international representation.
• Design programs to ensure female coaches have opportunities to become national coaches.
• Target recruitment programs specifically at female athletes. Introduce special measures in those programs where their participation does not equal that of male athletes. Special measures can include salary subsidies, scholarships, apprenticeships, and training programs.
• Design leagues and programs that decrease the emphasis on competition and increase the enjoyment of sport (more attractive to many females).

Goal 4.3 Ensure that competition and training opportunities for girls and women pursuing excellence in sport are equal to those provided for boys and men.

• At the high performance level, offer the same number and quality of program choices to females and males.
• Offer flexible training programs for individuals with family responsibilities and other special needs.
• Lobby national and international sport organisations to create equal competitive opportunities for female athletes at national and international competitions.
• Lobby educational institutions to create equitable competitive opportunities for female athletes.
• Lobby international federations to eliminate discriminatory actions such as sex testing (gender verification).
• Ensure that an equal number of females and males are allowed to qualify for national teams and represent their country.

5. Education, Awareness and Promotion

Goal 5.1: Develop awareness of the specific issues facing girls and women in your sport.

• Conduct gender equity workshops for staff, board/executive and other members. Include education about the sport organisation's legal responsibilities.
• Develop education policies and programs designed to win support for gender equity and your organisation's equity program.
• At conferences, clinics, policy and planning meetings include topics which address specific issues facing girls and women.
• Establish a feedback process so that issues of concern to girls and women can be raised and addressed.
• Select women as candidates and delegates for attendance at sport conferences to ensure concerns are raised. Try to include more than one woman so that she does not have to represent the voice of all women.
• Provide information to women about legal solutions, both internal and external to your organisation, which can be used to redress barriers to participation.

Goal 5.2: Use positive language and visual imagery that includes both genders

• Use gender-neutral language in policies, byelaws, rulebooks and reports.
• Develop visual images of active girls and women in sport. Eliminate all sexist visual images.

Goal 5.3: Establish a promotional and advertising campaign to instil positive public attitudes towards girls and women in sport.

• Depict girls and women in a positive manner in all promotional and educational programs.
• Reinforce the benefits of sport and its effect on the overall health and well being of girls and women in all promotional materials.  
• Promote programs for girls and women in newspapers, magazines and women's publications.
• Contact local women's groups and organisations to distribute materials on programs for girls and women, (e.g., churches, community centres, and women's centres).
• Establish a speaker's bureau to promote females in sport, help build awareness of the benefits.

Goal 5.4:  Enhance the quality and quantity of media coverage for females in sport.

• Assign responsibility for increasing and improving media coverage of girls and women.
• Develop contacts in the media and supply them with feature stories, statistics, results and photos of girls and women active in your sport.

Goal 5.5: Institute recognition systems for girls and women in sport.

• Develop a proactive strategy to promote the recognition of girls and women in your sport, e.g., nomination of candidates for awards.
• Give girls and women recognition for their contribution to sport through awards, bursaries, travel with touring teams, newsletter articles
• Document a history of women's achievements.
• Promote female role models in your sport.