International practice

Strategies and policies

• Actively Engaged: a Policy on Sport for Women and Girls, opens in a new tab, Government of Canada, Department of Canadian Heritage, (2009). Women and girls should have meaningful opportunities to become involved in and develop in sport according to their interests, abilities, talents and choices, throughout a lifetime’s involvement. This policy recognises that the contributions of actively engaged women and girls are critical to realising the objectives of the Canadian Sport Policy and for achieving results for Canadians.

Programs

• Canadian Women & Sport, opens in a new tab. A national non-profit organisation dedicated to creating an equitable and inclusive Canadian sport and physical activity system that empowers girls and women – as active participants and leaders – within and through sport. They provide learning opportunities, tools, guidelines, case studies, and reports.

Reports

• Rally Report 2024, opens in a new tab. The third edition of this research on how girls experience sport and use these insights to start a conversation in your community.
• Women in Sport Leadership, opens in a new tab, Canadian Women & Sport, (February 2022). Compared to 2019, after the government commitment was announced, the percentage of women holding board seats has jumped by 5 points. That means 45 more women are at the table than three years ago. Sport is ahead of “corporate” Canada, with women holding 49% of executive leadership positions at national sport vs just 18% for TSX-listed companies and Canadian Business Corporations Act corporations subject to disclosure requirements.
  • Provincial and Territorial women in sport leadership, opens in a new tab, Canadian Women & Sport, (July 2022). Similar report to the national report but focussed on provincial and territorial sport organizations (PTSO) that have significant influence in grassroots sport, which makes them leaders in the sport system in Canada.

Guidelines

• The Leading Edge: Good practices for creating gender-equitable boards in sport, opens in a new tab, Canadian Women & Sport, (2020). This resource provides sport leaders with information and tips to enhance good practices or dial up efforts to support gender-equitable boards. It includes information on making the case for gender-equitable boards; intentional leadership; setting clear objectives and evaluating progress; reviewing by-laws, processes and procedures; creating an inviting culture; proactively recruiting women; and providing mentoring and training opportunities.

Strategies and policies

Equality between women and men is one of the European Union’s founding values. The EU has published, opens in a new tab an overall strategy document for equality between women and men which represents the European Commission’s progressive work program on gender equality.

• Towards more gender equality in sport: Recommendations and action plan from the High Level Group on Gender Equality in sport, opens in a new tab, European Commission, (March 2022). Looking back at the steps already taken, the ‘Gender equality in sport – Proposal for strategic actions 2014-2020’ has certainly led to achievements, but the pace of reforms needs to be accelerated. This report is divided into two parts. The first part is devoted to topics applicable to all the main themes. The second looks at key thematic areas and is further divided into three parts: presentation of the current situation from a scientific standpoint and of models put in place by intergovernmental organisations; recommendations; and action proposals for stakeholders, namely the European Commission, EU Member States, sports federations and organisations governing grassroots sport.

Reports

• Gender equality in sport: Getting closer every day, opens in a new tab, Ivana Katsarova; graphics: Samy Chahr, European Parliamentary Research Service Briefing, (March 2019). Briefing paper covers background and research relating to gender equality and sport. Specific focus areas include Women's (long) road to the Olympics; Women in sports-related decision-making; Women as coaches; Gender pay inequalities; Gender-related stereotypes in media representation; Popularity and coverage of women's sports events in the EU; European parliament views on gender equality in sport.
• Mapping and analysis of education schemes for coaches from a gender perspective, opens in a new tab, A report to the European Commission, (July 2017). There is a wide acceptance of the notion that an increase in women coaches (as visible role models) can provide inspiration and encouragement to girls and women to take part in sport and sustain their participation. It is estimated that between 20%-30% of all coaches in Europe are women; however, in most sports the underrepresentation of women becomes more pronounced at the highest levels of coaching.
• Study on gender-based violence in sport: Final Report, opens in a new tab, Mergaert L, Arnaut C, Vertommen T, et.al., European Commission, Directorate for Education and Culture, (2016). This study provides an overview of legal and policy frameworks; describes initiatives promoted by sport organisations and civil society; identifies best practice in combatting gender-based violence in sport; and makes recommendations for future action. Several forms of gender-based violence in sport were considered: verbal, non-verbal, physical abuse, and sexual harassment. These forms are not mutually exclusive but overlap. This study explicitly included violence against LGBTQ persons and considered both male and female victims as well as perpetrators.

Sport Ireland’s, opens in a new tab vision for women in sport is one where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential, while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport.

Strategies and policies

• Women in Sport Policy, opens in a new tab, Sport Ireland (2023). The policy expresses Sport Ireland’s commitment to women in sport. It builds on the significant work which has already been undertaken in this area within the sport sector to date and, in recognising the opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of women through their involvement in sport, it provides a blueprint for Sport Ireland’s future work.

Reports

• Along came a Spider: 20x20 Final Research Results, opens in a new tab, Behaviour and Attitudes, (2020). The 20×20 Campaign, supported by the Federation of Irish Sport, ran Oct 2018 to Oct 2020. 20×20 aimed to create a cultural shift in the perception of girls and women in sport. Analysis of the campaign showed an improvement in the perception of women's sport over two years. While the shift was across all demographics, it was higher amongst males of all ages and those who were aware of the 20x20 initiative. The strong impact of the campaign has been acknowledged, with 3 in 4 adults now seeing/reading about women’s sport more than before, because of the 20x20 movement. Also a similar proportion acknowledge that the 20x20 movement has changed their mindset positively towards girls and women in sport. 49% of 18-34 year old females now participate in more sport because of the 20x20 movement.

Strategies and policies

Advocating for women and girls, opens in a new tab, Sport New Zealand, (accessed 5 August 2025). Sport NZ is committed to improving the opportunities, value and visibility for women and girls. See our research, resources and funding to find out how we are addressing the inequities for women and girls in play, active recreation and sport. Focus areas include Leadership, Participation, and Value and Visibility.

• Board gender diversity, opens in a new tab, Sport New Zealand, (accessed 5 August 2025). In October 2018 Sport NZ launched its commitment to supporting funded partners to make organisational change and achieve a board gender diversity target. This initiative has been highly successful. As of December 2021, 65 out of 66 qualifying Sport NZ-funded partners have achieved a gender balance on their boards of 40 percent or more self-identified women.
  • Evaluation of Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa’s National Policy for Gender Equity in Governance, opens in a new tab, Dr Jo Cribb, Sport NZ, (September 2022). This qualitative evaluation of the implementation of the policy found that building a pool of board-ready women, focusing on supporting boards with their recruitment processes, and supporting chairs were key to success.

Programs

• Te Hāpaitanga, opens in a new tab, High Performance Sport New Zealand, (accessed 5 August 2025). A holistic coach development initiative enabling more women to pursue and maintain careers in high performance coaching in New Zealand.
• The Flow on Effect, opens in a new tab, Sport New Zealand, (accessed 5 August 2025). An initiative about reducing barriers and stigma around menstruation; providing information for adults supporting young people to be physically active; and empowering rangatahi to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing while staying active.
• #ItsMyMove: A movement for young women, opens in a new tab, Sport New Zealand, (accessed 5 August 2025). An initiative led by Sport NZ that aims to close the gender participation gap. It explores factors like judgement, lack of confidence and fear of failure that are barriers to young women participating in sport and recreation.
• Empowering girls through adventures in the outdoors, opens in a new tab, Sport New Zealand, (accessed 29 March 2023). Journeys, supported by Central Otago REAP, is a programme empowering young women to take on outdoor adventure pursuits in their local environment with support from strong female role models.

Reports

• Media Coverage of Women’s Sport, opens in a new tab, Sport New Zealand, (accessed 5 August 2025). The fifth annual report was published in July 2025, covering the 2024 calendar year. This study continues to show significant advances in the coverage of women’s sport in New Zealand media, increasing from 15% in 2020 to 27% in 2024. The first report was published in April 2021 and covers 14 months from July 2019 to December 2020 (excluding March to June 2020, where the study was paused due to COVID-19). Since then, annual reports, mid-year updates, and additional case studies are being published over the life of the study.
• Building cultural inclusion in active recreation and sport: Insights from Muslim women, opens in a new tab, Sport New Zealand, (July 2020). This report highlights key themes that emerged from conversations with Muslim girls and women, and active recreation and sport administrators in 2019. It aims to recognise the importance of creating spaces for the voices and experiences of Muslim women, as well as those involved in organising active recreation and sport with Muslim women participants.

Programs

• Women in Sport, opens in a new tab. Founded in 1984, Women in Sport is a charity focussed on giving every woman and girl the opportunity to take part in sport and inspire her to do so. They produce a wide variety of reports, policy positions, and campaigns to support these goals.
• Scottish Women in Sport (SW/S), opens in a new tab. Launched in 2013 with a view to raising awareness and increasing the profile of all opportunities for women and girls to participate in any area in sport and at any level.
• This Girl Can, opens in a new tab. A national campaign developed and supported by Sport England and its partner organisations. Designed to provide a web-based and social media platform for information, community awareness, inspirational stories, best practice, and promotional activities that encourage women and girls to become more active.

Reports

• Gender, opens in a new tab, Sport England, (accessed 5 August 2025). Encouraging more women to find their way into sport and physical activity is vital if we're to close the gender gap that exists. Section provides information and links to Sport England research, programs, tools and resources for encouraging female participation in sport.
• Women in Leadership in Scottish Sport, opens in a new tab, Ryan Brown, Dr Paula Murray, et al., Observatory for Sport in Scotland, (2021). The Observatory for Sport in Scotland (OSS) was formed in 2016. It is an independent think tank that connects research, evidence and analysis to policy and practice in Scotland, and helps stakeholders to use sport activity strategically to improve health and wellbeing, education and the economy. This research seeks to inform and deepen understanding of the representation of women in leadership roles across Scottish sport. It is a limited study, conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21, which severely restricted face-to-face contact and travel. It focuses specifically on women’s roles within Scottish Governing Bodies (SGBs) and leisure trusts, chiefly responsible for the administration of sport and leisure, and includes key national umbrella organisations.
• Levelling the playing field: 2019 report and recommendations, opens in a new tab, Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Advisory Board, (2019). The 2018 First Report and Findings from the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) stated that: “Women are significantly less likely than men to meet physical activity guidelines; just 59% of women do the recommended amount of activity per week, compared to 69% of men. Only 14% of CEO positions across Scotland’s national governing bodies are held by women. 99% of sponsorship investment and 95% of media coverage is dedicated to men’s sport.” This Board set out to recommend further improvements to drive participation in sport and physical activity amongst women and girls and discuss how more private and media investment could be attracted into the sector.
• Final Report of the Government’s Women and Sport Advisory Board, opens in a new tab, United Kingdom, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, (March 2015). The Advisory Board’s interim report, published in October 2014, set out five areas of work the Board chose to focus on and provided an overview of progress. This report builds on the interim report and looks ahead by suggesting further actions in each of the five key areas: (1) increasing women’s participation in sport; (2) improving the media profile of women’s sport; (3) increasing commercial investment in women’s sport; (4) improving women’s representation in leadership and the workforce, and; (5) greater recognition of women’s sporting achievements.
  • Interim Report of the Government’s Women and Sport Advisory Board, opens in a new tab, United Kingdom, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Women and Sport Advisory Board, (October 2014).
• Go where women are: insight on engaging women and girls in sport and exercise, opens in a new tab, Sport England, (2015). This review explores our current understanding of what women want from sport and exercise programs; their relevant motivations, barriers, and triggers that prompt them into being more active. Seven key principles for program providers are discussed: (1) change the offer to suit the women being targeted, listen to marketing and customer experiences of women; (2) don’t just talk about sport, consider how to present and explain the intended experience; (3) differentiate sport from other interests by promoting (not preaching) the benefits; (4) make sport the ‘norm’ for women of all ages, sizes, and cultural backgrounds by celebrating it; (5) use positivity and encouragement to drive action (rather than fear of the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle); (6) make it easy for women to act, address both practical and emotional barriers to participation; and, (7) remember that people make or break the experience, ensure participants are properly supported along the way.

Strategies and policies

• Sports for Generation Equality Framework: Driving implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action through the Power of the Sport Ecosystem, opens in a new tab, UN Women, (2020). UN Women invites members of the sport ecosystem to join the Sports for Generation Equality Initiative to accelerate progress on a set of common principles and aligned objectives that will harness the power of sport in making gender equality a reality in and through sport. Under the leadership of UN Women, the Sports for Generation Equality initiative will constitute a neutral space for enhancing cooperation among members to leverage the and share knowledge and resources and to catalyzing innovation.

Reports

• COVID-19, women, girls and sport: Build back better, opens in a new tab, UN Women, (2020). This brief focuses on the impacts of COVID-19 on women and girls in sports in five areas: leadership, gender-based violence, economic opportunities, media participation and representation, and girl’s participation in sport. It presents key recommendations to different actors in the sport ecosystem so that women and girls’ gains in sport are not lost, and a better future for all becomes a reality, where women and girls can participate in, work with, govern, and enjoy sport on an equal playing field.

Tools

• Tackling violence against women and girls in sport: A handbook for policy makers and sports practitioners, opens in a new tab, UN Women and UNESCO, (2023). Sport both responds to and shapes the society in which we live—particularly with respect to norms around masculinity and gender, which in turn influence the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of men and women, boys, and girls, both on and off the playing field. UN Women, UNESCO, and the Spotlight Initiative have developed this handbook to facilitate informed and constructive conversations about how we can work together to address VAWG in sport. This Handbook aims to create a shared understanding of the problem, offer practical tools for addressing VAWG in sport, and propose areas for effective collaboration. This handbook is aimed at sports practitioners and policy makers wishing to address VAWG in sport.

Programs

• Champion Women, opens in a new tab. This US based, non-profit, organisation was established in October 2014. The organisation’s mission is to provide advocacy for girls and women in sports through targeted efforts toward equality, accountability, and transparency among institutions providing (or not providing) sporting opportunities for girls and women.
• Women’s Sports Foundation, opens in a new tab (WSF). Founded in 1974 by tennis professional Billie Jean King, the WSF is dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. The WSF works to educate, advocate, and organise programs across the USA; it also provides scholarships and supports research.

Reports

• Chasing Equity: The Triumphs, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sports for Girls and Women, opens in a new tab, Women's Sports Foundation, (January 2020). In this report, we examine the state of girls’ and women’s sport in the United States through a broad lens, looking at the triumphs, the challenges, and the tremendous opportunities that are yet to be realized. The areas we focus on include sport participation opportunities for girls and women; the benefits of sport participation for girls and women; the barriers that limit and/or hinder participation; critical health and safety concerns of females in sport; Title IX and its ongoing role in supporting the infrastructure for equal access to sport participation for girls and women; the representation of women working in the sport industry and the climate they encounter while working in sport, including pay equity and equal treatment issues; the level and quality of sport media coverage of female athletes; and the representation of women working in sport media.