Gender Equity in Recreational Sport: Optimizing Facility Use

As part of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association’s (CPRA) Gender Equity in Recreation and Community Sport Initiative, we initiated a Community of Practice. One of the activities featured was a series of five open-dialogue Friday Forums. The following report contains learnings from each of the five forums and a final summary of general observations as well as questions still to be addressed.”

This Organizational Culture module was presented as part of the in-person workshops that CPRA facilitated across Canada (2022-2024). Additional resources appear throughout the presentation.

This “What Works” module was presented as part of the in-person workshops that CPRA facilitated across Canada (2022-2024). Additional resources appear throughout the presentation.

This Facility Design module was presented as part of the in-person workshops that CPRA facilitated across Canada (2022-2024). Additional resources appear throughout the presentation.

This Engagement module was presented as part of the in-person workshops that CPRA facilitated across Canada (2022-2024). It focuses on “getting them in the door”. Additional resources appear throughout the presentation.

This Key Concepts module was presented as part of the in-person workshops that CPRA facilitated across Canada (2022-2024). Additional resources appear throughout the presentation.

This Sustainability module was presented as part of the in-person workshops that CPRA facilitated across Canada (2022-2024). Additional resources appear throughout the presentation.

This Evaluation module was presented as part of the in-person workshops that CPRA facilitated across Canada (2022-2024). Additional resources appear throughout the presentation.

It is easy to assume we know what people want from our facilities and services. However, oftentimes our assumptions are incorrect or based on incomplete information. To combat this typical mistake, we use personas, archetypes of people, based on real end users By stepping into their shoes, we can design a more relevant and successful destination.

This resource, compiled by CPRA for its gender equity workshops, provides ideas to establish a welcoming atmosphere and ways to encourage women to play golf.

This resource provides tips to make indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities more welcoming.

The following document provides a template for municipalities and organizations looking to develop their own equitable access policy with respect to recreation facilities and programming. It is important to remember that equity in the allocation of recreation spaces for those who identify as women or girls cannot be achieved overnight, nor can it be achieved without collaboration and community engagement, particularly from those whom the Equity Policy aims to serve.

This resource provides information about how to design opportunities for women and girls.

This resource features the 10 most important things organizations and communities can do to make sport fun.

A gender equity policy template and an implementation guide that outlines how to adopt and enact a gender equity policy.

Equitable access to recreation facilities is fundamental to the wellbeing of all citizens. The City of Saint John is committed to achieving access and equity in allocation of public recreational spaces. Scheduling to offer reasonable and fair opportunity to use facilities in a proportionate and equitable manner will be achieved by taking into consideration a number of factors.

The policy works towards ensuring that the allocation of the Town facilities is done in a fair and equitable manner.

The InMotion Network is an organization that aims to remove barriers for individuals who have been, and continue to be, underserved by our sporting, recreation, and physical activity systems.

The Ice Facility Allocation Policy and Procedures outline how City of Waterloo indoor ice pads will be allocated to customers. The policy is founded on the principles and practices outlined in the City of Waterloo’s Public Facility Space Allocation Policy to support allocation and use of ice in a fair, equitable, transparent and consistent manner.

The Public Facility Space Allocation Policy defines foundational principles and practices that determine how affiliated community organizations and seasonal user groups will be allocated space in public facilities in a fair, equitable, transparent and consistent manner.

Designing safer parks is important for everyone, but the perspectives and lived experiences of women and girls require specific consideration.

This policy outlines the standard facility space allocations for each type of facility provided by the City and for each type of user group and the priorities which will be applied in the event of a conflict in permit time requested. It outlines general information regarding indoor and outdoor facility space allocations to ensure that the booking process is implemented in a fair, transparent and uniform manner.

The recommended allocation system must be philosophically sound, thereby easy to defend, andvpractically based, as well as easy to implement.

The purpose of this document is to provide staff with direction associated to the allocation and use of Department Space.

It is recognized and understood that the Municipality has a responsibility to provide ice time to meet the needs of the entire community.

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the allocation and management of Fields owned and operated by the City. This policy does not cover arenas or swimming pools.

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the allocation and management of Arenas owned and operated by the City.

This report provides the results of the survey of women and girls participation, retention in, and dropout of sport. Women and girls who were registered to play soccer/football (herein ‘football’) (in 2019, 2020 or 2021) or participate in gymnastics (in 2020, 2020 or 2021) in Australia were invited to participate in the survey.

This example of a policy is to promote and encourage participation in sports to the overall benefit of the communities. This Sports Facility Allocation Policy has been developed to address the current sport facility portfolio, new facility users and changing market supply of indoor year-round sports facilities.

This resource, from Make Space for Girls, provides pictures that prompt coversations about what girls want from a park.

This review explores and synthesise the self-identified barriers and facilitators to young adult women’s participation in PA from qualitative research studies and offer suggestions for future studies and programs designed for this population.

This document desribes the barriers to participation in sport and active recreation that girls (and boys) and women face with strategies to address the barriers.

This document contains a number of resources addressing a variety of topics

Intersecting identities is an understanding that people have multiple identifying factors, both visible and invisible to others. “Intersectionality” is an understanding that systems in our society have been intentionally created to benefit or oppress specific demographics. These slides have been prepared to assist in sharing information as it relates to intersectionality in the sport and recreation field.

Fitness and recreation centres populate today’s modern urban communities and cater to a wide range of people seeking health, fitness and social connection through physical activity. While women’s experiences in these spaces have received some scholarly attention from feminist scholars and scholars of the body, little research has explored women’s lived experiences of the change room.

The facility allocation policy include guiding principles for alllocation, guidelines, booking procedures and organization of fees. A number of recommendations, regarding organizational effectiveness work, marketing and user feedback mechanisms are included.

Our girls are watching us. Our nieces, cousins, sisters, neighbours, daughters. If we don’t show them what they’re capable of, who will?

Without strong development pathways, young Canadians may not have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. An important first step along any development pathway is a positive introduction to sport through grassroots community programs.

By taking a full sustainability lens to our designs at the beginning of the process, we can support better equity, health, and climate resilience for future communities, making our spaces better for everyone.

NRPA’s Equity Language Guide is a glossary of terms to help park and recreation professionals develop a common language around diversity, equity and inclusion.

This resource is designed to provide tips for coaches, sports clubs and athletes on how to include Muslim Females in the athletic space.

Some experts say the design of many playgrounds is sexist, as much more space is devoted to boys, who tend to play sports more than girls.

Sport has the power to unite and inspire us. For girls, women and gender-diverse people, sport can be transformative, but only when they have equitable opportunities to engage in quality, safe sport.

Cities are supposed to be built for all of us, but they aren’t built by all of us. We spoke to feminists working in urban planning in the city to find out what they think needs to change to make cities better for women.

In Her Words is a novel project that explored the physical activity and recreational sport experiences of mothers with disabilities – for their own health and well-being, and as mentors to their school-aged daughters (9-15 years).

Visiting parks is an integral part of everyday life, reflecting the vital social, health and recreational role parks play in towns and cities. Parks have numerous benefits for health and wellbeing yet concerns about safety can constrain women and girls’ use and experience of them.

It’s an outline about both the problem of the lack of facilities for teenage girls in parks, and also some studies of best practice in how to co-produce solutions.

Are You Afraid of the Dark T.O? is a temporary public outdoor installation for young women and girls that will use unique seating arrangements and LED lighting to improve perceptions of safety at night and encourage after-dark use.

This Standard is a set of principles for managing public park spaces in ways that prioritise women and girls’ safety.

What does a #city look like from Her perspective? How can designs/plans respond to a #woman’s experience?

Whatever your goal, this guide is designed to help you to decide where research can be useful for your organisation, and provide guidance around how to select the best approach.

The single best way to create a park which works for teenage girls is to talk to them. Find out how they use the park, how it makes them feel, and what would make it more attractive for them.

Urban planners have been melding mainstreaming and city design in Vienna for over two decades and they’ve gotten it down to something of a science.

In this blog, Lindsay Knowlton offers strategies and tips, based on research and her own experiences, to help golf clubs and organizations create inclusive, welcoming environments that help women say “yes” to golf.

The active engagement of girls and women as participants and leaders will enhance the Canadian sport and physical activity system for everyone.

This article is an overview of the relationships between boys and girls in public space. Based on an extensive literature review and own research we look at the causes of this gender inequality as well at the possible solutions.

Intersectionality is a concept that can help policy makers and sport programmers understand how different types of discrimination – like racism, homophobia, and ableism – combine to prevent some women and girls from participating in sport.

Effective strategies and interventions are required in order to meet Sport Canada’s goal of equity for girls and women in sport by 2035.

For decades, scholars and advocates of women’s sport have called for a change in how women’s sport is marketed, sponsored, endorsed, promoted, covered, invested in, capitalized upon, and broadcast.

Through positive sport experiences, girls are more likely to reap the benefits of sport participation and grow into confident and motivated leaders.

These whiteboard animation videos on the 13 factors in the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace will be a helpful resource for all workplaces in Ottawa. Let’s keep the conversation going about mental health. Each of the videos has a facilitator’s guide to help get the conversation started.

The psychosocial factors described in Guarding Minds are elements that psychologically and/or socially impact the health, safety and well-being of employees, either positively or negatively.

Researchers Kelloway and Barling have said that virtually every outcome variable in the field of occupational health psychology is empirically related to organizational leadership.

In this paper, I argue that everyday spaces such as change rooms and locker rooms are important spaces in which social understandings of the female body manifest.

Motherhood and a decrease in physical activity participation often go hand in hand. Specifically, early motherhood is a time when women have some of their lowest rates of sport participation.

Keeping Girls in Sport was created to help everyone who coaches girls, even parents, understand how girls develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally.

This document outlines the Expert Working Group’s policy and practice recommendations, and is being made available to Canadian sport organizations to help in their work towards making their sport more inclusive.

In comparatively gender equal Norway, most boys and girls participate in sports at about equal rates. This apparent gender equality is investigated further.

Despite decades of research and advocacy, women’s professional sports continue to be considered second class to men’s sports. The goal of this paper is to rethink how we state, present, and solve problems in women’s sport.

For many talented female candidates, the way they see their own leadership does not match what is presented in front of them in corporate cultures.

For lifelong baller Caren Cao, playing in a co-ed basketball league wasn’t much fun. “If it’s a competitive league, men don’t take you seriously,” she says. “If it’s a casual game, they won’t even put in a full effort to guard you.”

Gender Equal Cities, URBACT’s new initiative, seeks to highlight ways in which cities are driving change to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.

Urban redevelopment in India over recent decades has had particular implications for women. Cities such as New Delhi have become sites for experimentation, autonomy and aspiration for women.

The proposal is to reclaim women’s right to the city through the recontextualisation of their public spaces which have been lost or need to be developed in urbanised India.

This short video introduces the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association’s four-part webinar series on Gender Equity in Recreational Sport.

COVID-19 has profoundly impacted society and will for years to come. This report is an opportunity to focus on the impact of COVID-19 for girls in sport.

This workshop will explore non-traditional ways of understanding the community and, specifically, those who do not typically participate in recreation.

This workshop will focus on OUTCOME evaluation in general with specific application to gender equity initiatives and understanding the impact of this work.

This workshop will focus on two basic elements related to gender equity and the design of recreation facilities.

The workshop focused on three specific topics regarding organizational support for girls, women and gender diverse individuals.

Want the inside story on Ontario Soccer’s Gender Equity strategy?

Quality engagement in physical activity can further the integration of newcomer women and girls into their communities and positively impact their overall quality of life.

COMING SOON – A practical tool for organizations to identify strengths and opportunities to promote equity.

The guidelines focus on three key enablers: Facility Planning and Design, Maximising Use (i.e., culture, programing, and Policy to Drive Change.

This document explores the benefits of universal washrooms and change rooms and their provision in community and recreation facilities.

Designed to empower and advance gender equity and equality for women and girls in sport and physical activity worldwide.

This National Policy Framework for Women and Girls in Sport is for the Commonwealth and State/Territory government jurisdictions.

This resource provides sport leaders with information and tips to enhance good practices or dial up efforts to support gender-equitable boards.

Within the Canadian sport sector, these are three organizations that have implemented board gender equity into their governance documents.

The Women in Sport Leadership Snapshot 2023 highlights and celebrates recent successes in sport leadership diversity.

Includes resources and key findings from the research which is funded by Sport England.

This guide will help you get more women and girls in your area active – even if you’re not directly involved in the sport or leisure sector.

“Go Where Women Are” is about engaging women in sport and exercise on their terms and in their space whether physically or emotionally.

This resource provides concrete evidence that makes the case for investing in physical activity initiatives for women 55–70.

The toolkit specifically aims to help clubs increase the involvement of women and girls, Aboriginal people and people from culturally diverse communities.

An evidence-based, step-by-step, comprehensive online toolkit designed to help sport organizations bring their gender equity vision to life.

This self–assessment tool is designed for all sport and physical activity organizations/providers who want to reap the benefits of greater gender equity within their organizations.

As an advocate for sport that is fair, safe and open, the CCES has developed resources for the Canadian sport community to provide information and guidance for the inclusion of trans athletes.

Based on the lived experiences of Canadian athletes and coaches, this resource highlights current issues in Canadian sport, from playground to podium.

With this new e-module from Canadian Women & Sport, you’ll learn how to bring a gender lens to sport and reflect on how your decisions can impact people differently.