Another key dimension of addressing the barriers faced by women to attract more of them to your organisation is to give them a voice. This is extremely important as we believe that if we should form one tip out of the main learning points from the case studies above it would be to “Change the offer to suit women - don’t expect women to change to fit sport and exercise!”
In this section, we will suggest how to do so effectively by providing them with a chance to co-design their activities and programmes.
Experience has shown that co-design is one of the key components of any innovative social action programme. This is why we believe this might be the best proven approach for your organisation to develop new offers fitting the needs and wants of women and girls - therefore bridging the GAP.
The main driving idea behind the co-design approach is designing with the target group, not for them! Co-design brings together lived experience, lived expertise and professional experience to learn from each other and make things better. The visual below will show you how:
| The 5 principles of co-design - adapted from PaperGiant | |
|---|---|
| Outcomes focused | What are we trying to achieve? |
| Inclusive | Who should be involved? |
| Participative | How and when can we make it safe and easy for people to have meaningful input? |
| Respectful | How will we ensure participants feel respected and valued? |
| Adaptive | How and when will we review, share and adapt? |
Should you want to go further and learn more about the co-design approach, we suggest you have a look at the following resources:
A focus group is a qualitative research method where a small, diverse group of people is gathered to discuss specific topics, programmes or products. Guided by a moderator, participants share their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes, providing rich, detailed data.
Benefits of Focus Groups for Collecting Feedback
Suggestions and Advice for Using Focus Groups
Resources to go further:
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that existing gender inequalities are further exaggerated by climate-related hazards, resulting in, amongst other things, an increase in violence against women and girls and increased workloads for women.
As workloads for women increase due to climate-related hazards, as predicted by the IPCC, the opportunities women have to participate in sport and physical activity for their mental and physical health decreases even further due to time pressures. Knowing that lack of time is the main barrier for women to take part in sport and physical activity, it is clear that addressing the ecological and climate emergencies will be one way to address the women’s exercise gap now and in the future.
However, the sports sector currently contributes to the crisis we face. The “Playing Against the Clock” report on climate change and sport (published in 2020) estimated that the global sports industry is close to generating 0.6 per cent of global emissions, which makes it responsible for 300–350 million tonnes; the equivalent of a mid-sized country like Spain or Poland.
So what can be done at your organisation’s level?
We believe it takes small steps. New approaches need to be taken, from reusable drinks containers through to the choice of building materials and new developments.
Creating a sustainability plan for your organisation is not as difficult as you may think. Watch the video from Gisela Ibáñez, Sustainability Coordinator for La Calle. She offers 10 easy steps to start implementing a strategy in your club or federation.
Resources to go further:
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