Equality for Women in Sport Introduction

PreviousNext

Historically, Canadian women have enjoyed fewer opportunities to participate and compete in athletic pursuits than men. Gender inequality in Canadian sport has been perpetuated by women's restricted access to sport facilities and training resources, a lack of quality physical education, and marginalized representation within national sport organizations. With the advent of feminist movements in the 1960's demanding social equality, many female athletes became activists, working tirelessly to challenge discriminatory social attitudes and assumptions about women's interests and abilities in the world of sport. Over the second half of the twentieth century, women steadily expanded and improved their opportunities to participate in sport as athletes, coaches, educators and administrators. Thanks to their dedicated advocacy, unprecedented numbers of Canadian women have been empowered to take up sport, with public interest and support for their achievements reaching new heights in the first decades of the twenty-first century.

Previous Next