Women not staying in sport, report finds
Recent efforts to expand opportunities for girls have yet to cause change
The benefits of sport participation transcend the field, pool and ice for girls and women, but getting them into sports and getting them to stay there remain an issue, according to a report released Thursday by Canadian Women and Sport.
More than 10,000 Canadians, 75 per cent of whom are girls and women aged 13 to 63, were surveyed for “The Rally Report,” which explores current trends in sport participation — defined as playing an organized team or individual sport at least once a week over the last 12 months — with a specific focus girls six to 18.
The report, supported by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and the first of its kind since 2016, found recent efforts to expand opportunities for girls and women in sport have yet to translate into major change. Some of the findings included:
Fewer than 60 per cent of Canadian boys and girls participating in sports. And the rate of participation is much lower for girls, with as many as 62 per cent of Canadian girls not participating in sport of any kind.
Eighteen per cent of women aged 16 to 63 are involved in sport, down from 35 per cent in 2010. A little more than half of women 15 or older were participating in sport in 1992.
Participation numbers dip as girls age: 57 per cent of girls aged 6 to 12 are active weekly. That number dips to 47 per cent for girls 13 to 15 and to 38 per cent for girls 16 to 18. A similar number of boys and girls start out in sport, but one in three girls drop out of sport during adolescence, compared to one in 10 boys.
Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, the CEO of Canadian Women and Sport, said she has seen support for girls and women in sport grow in Canada with increased training and investment. But “The Rally Report” shows more attention, political will and resources are still required to create gender equity within sport in Canada by 2035.
“What we know is that doesn’t happen by accident,” Sandmeyer-Graves said. “We can’t count on the slow march of time and social progress to get us to equity and equality for girls and women. It’s going to require intentional, persistent commitment and action.”
That goal for equity was set by the federal government in May 2019, when Kirsty Duncan, then Canada’s minister of science and sports, announced $3 million in funding over the next four years for Canadian Women and Sport, then known as the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity, to support its efforts to increase participation of women and girls in sport as athletes and leaders. It was part of $30 million announced in the 2018 federal budget to “support data and research and innovative practices to promote the participation of women and girls in sport, and to provide support to national sports organizations to foster the greater inclusion of women and girls in all facets of sport.”
Sandmeyer-Graves said it is humbling to see little to no shift in participation numbers despite all the work her organization and others across the country have put in.
“At this pace, we’re definitely not going to get there,” she said.
The greatest barriers for girls in sports were access, cost and quality. There is limited data on how race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic position, ability and gender intersect with sport participation.
Physical health, enjoyment and mental health were among the biggest benefits girls reported. Women who participated in sport reported better self-perception than those who had never participated in sport. The longer girls stayed in sport, the more they reported experiencing the benefits it has to offer.
“If they can overcome those barriers, then the benefits that they’re reporting are enormous,” said Catherine Sabiston, the Canada research chair in physical activity and mental health at the University of Toronto who authored the report.
Keeping girls in sport can have a long-term impact across all roles, said Sabiston, including coaching, refereeing and sports administration, among others. Rates of female leadership in Canadian sport have been “rising incrementally” since 2016, the report said, but only 43 per cent of nationally funded sports organizations have reached parity. Women are also underrepresented in coaching, with the number of female coaches decreasing as the levels get more competitive.
“The Rally Report” listed 32 strategies aimed at retaining girls as participants, expanding leadership by women, improving representation of women in sport and creating conditions for equity and inclusion.
“The list is long because they’re all considered to be important to us,” Sabiston said. “Many of them can be done at the same time … and in whatever role you’re in.”
One place to start is by getting more women around the boardroom tables of sport-related organizations, said Sandmeyer-Graves.
“That’s where strategy, investment, all of those things happen that shape the possibilities for girls and women within sports,” she said. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to the recent support of girls and women in sport, but Sandmeyer-Graves hopes the “The Rally Report” highlights the level of commitment and effort needed to create change.
“We and others share concern that there will be backtrack on equity and inclusion for girls due to cost-cutting and other constraints, so what we are really looking for right now is people across the system … to commit themselves to doing what they can in their sphere of influence to improve the inclusion of girls.”