Gender Equity

It has been a while since my last post. I have been busy searching for resources and trying my best to organize the information that I feel is relevant to the site. With that in mind, I would like to start this post with a justification for its content. This site is and will remain a resource for endeavours of physical health and fitness.  However, there are some topics that transcend the boundaries of sport and fitness and require mention. Gender equity is one such topic, and it just happens to be the subject of this post.

Much of my discussion will be in response to a paper An Introduction to the Law, Sport, and Gender Equity in Canada published by the Canadian association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS).

It should be noted that the gender equity is law in Canada and the Canadian Charter of Rights Freedom ensures its application in all sectors, including sport. The interpretation of the “Charter” is in constant evolution and it is therefore essential that educators are familiar with the fundamental premise of the law and how it applies to sport.

According to the CAAWS, gender equity is “the principle and practice of fair and equitable allocation of opportunities and resources to both females and males”. This translates into “eliminating discriminatory practices which are barriers to full participation in sport programs, leadership and employment” (p.4).

These barriers are not always obvious in nature as a barrier may be: a team receiving fewer practice times compared to the same team of an opposite gender; scheduled practice or competitions at less convenient times; or maybe competitions scheduled with less qualified officials.

As part of the teachers compliment to this post, numerous case studies have been supplied to illustrate the legal and moral principles surrounding gender equity as they may apply to sport organizations. Each case study, originally published by the CAAWS, is a true story with names and locations altered for privacy reasons. Of particular interest are the landmark case Blainey vs Ontario Hockey Association, which made it possible for girls to participate on boys’ sports teams, when and where the opportunity to play on a girls’ team does not exist, and the human rights complaint Ann Peel brought towards Sport Canada.

Peel, a world class race walker, learned that her financial assistance was going to be reduced because she was pregnant. Not only was she able to train and compete, but an injury she had the year before which actually did affect her performance , was not seen as relevant enough to lower her assistance – but pregnancy was.  After Peel and several sport organizations failed to convince Sport Canada to change its policy, Peel lodged a human rights complaint. Before the complaint could be heard, the Minister of Fitness and Amateur Sport intervened and Sport Canada agreed to change its policy. As a result, pregnant athletes can now receive full funding so long as they state that they intend to return to competition.

The case with Peel is of particular interest because according to section 1 of the Charter, discrimination (even when proved to have occurred) is permissible when it has been decided that girls or women will be injured if allowed to compete against bigger, stronger boys or men, or that women cannot be admitted to male-only facilities on the grounds of public decency. It would appear that Peel was in no danger by continuing to train and compete because of her pregnancy, and therefore policy needed to be changed.  This example of gender equity not being obvious in all case has brought forth the term indirect discrimination. The CAAWS give this example to explain indirect discrimination:

An example of indirect discrimination in sport would be offering a coaching scholarship program to coaches with ten or more years of coaching experience in a sport where women have only had opportunity to coach for the last seven years. Women would not be eligible for the program because being female has prevented them from gaining the necessary experience to qualify for the opportunity.

I would like to finish this post with a request that each educator find a way to discuss gender equity issues with their classes. Using the sport realm as their basis, it may be easier for students to identify with the injustices that accompany many gender equity issues. It should be noted to students that these principles should not only be applied in the sport world, but also in private and public industry. The case studies which accompany this post in the teachers section are excellent and I also encourage educators to browse each one to find the ones that best suit your needs (there is one article about a man being discriminated against because of his gender and is not considered for employment as a result). Check out the Gender Equity lesson plan and supporting documents for the lesson on this topic.

Yours in Movement,

Coach