Policies and Practice
Women and Girls

It is important that your sport organisation develops a culture and environment that shows females are welcomed, valued, and respected. There are many actions your organisation can take in order to increase women and girls participation in sport.

Creating a Mission Statement 

Sport Organisations can set a positive culture that welcomes women and girls through a mission statement, for example:

• Example 1: (sport organisation) is committed to creating healthy sporting environments that are safe, accessible, inclusive and equitable. This commitment involves a focused approach to actively encourage and support the participation of women and girls in all aspects of our sport.
• Example 2: (sport organisation) aims to provide an opportunity for everyone to participate in(sport)regardless of their gender. The (sport organisation) will strive to provide a healthy, safe, inclusive and accessible environment to ensure all people can fully participate in any aspect of the (sport). This participation includes playing, coaching, officiating, administering and supporting (sport) in a paid or voluntary capacity.

Supporting Acceptable Attitudes and Behaviours 

Clear boundaries need to be set around acceptable attitudes and behaviours. A successful sport rejects discrimination, harassment and bullying towards everyone. To improve the presence and participation of women and girls in your sport it is important to take steps to address sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Not only is this against the law but it creates a toxic culture that discourages female involvement.

Codes of conduct and other policies addressing inappropriate behaviour and unfair decision making must be in place, communicated and enforced by leaders throughout the organisation. In Victoria, it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of their sex or characteristics associated with their sex, such as carer responsibilities, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Preventing discrimination and sexual harressment 

In Victoria, it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of their sex or characteristics associated with their sex, such as carer responsibilities, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Although men can experience sex discrimination, women are more likely to experience it. This is because women are more likely to care for children or other family members, and because they may become pregnant or need to breastfeed a child.

Visit the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission for more information on sex discrimination.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual behaviour, which could be expected to make a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. Sexual harassment can be physical, verbal or written. It can include:

• Comments about a person’s private life or the way they look.
• Sexually suggestive behaviour, such as leering or staring.
• Brushing up against someone, touching, fondling or hugging.
• Sexually suggestive comments or jokes.
• Displaying offensive screen savers, photos, calendars or objects.
• Repeated requests to go out.
• Requests for sex.
• Sexually explicit emails, text messages or posts on social networking sites.

Sexual harassment is against the law and some types of sexual harassment can also be a criminal offence. These include indecent exposure, stalking and sexual assault, as well as obscene or threatening phone calls, letters, emails, text messages and posts on social networking sites.

A single incident is enough to constitute sexual harassment – it doesn’t have to be repeated.

Visit the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission for more information on sexual harassment.

Taking practical steps 

Sporting organisations can take practical steps to help their environment become welcoming to women and girls. They can:

• Review their constitution, membership rules and policies to remove discriminatory clauses or sexist language and protect the rights and representations of their members, regardless of gender.
• Make sure women can participate by scheduling meetings at a time convenient for parents and care givers. Provide child-care if possible.
• Consider role-sharing so more women can participate in volunteer positions.
• Ensure females get equal access to resources. For example, check that it isn’t just women who are made to use equipment/grounds that are run down or poorly maintained.
• Schedule women’s matches at times that are ‘popular’ or ‘prime time’ to encourage support. Some clubs may schedule women’s matches at times that are less popular because men’s matches are considered more ‘important’.
• Remember that harassment can also be subtle, for example, referring to poor on field performance as ‘playing like a girl’. Such statements reinforce negative stereotypes and discourage women and girls to participate.

Evaluation of the Healthy Sporting Environments program found that 41% of sport clubs don’t provide any information to support women and girls who are victims of violence. Some resources to help guide your sport in promoting a positive culture include:

• 'Stepping In', VicHealth's bystander action toolkit, is designed to help State Sporting Associations to become workplace leaders in promoting gender equity and respect for women.
• The "Moving to Action" videos outline why it’s so important to step up and prevent gender discrimination.

Sporting organisations develop policies in order to communicate appropriate behaviour, protect the rights of members and visitors and set expectations around standards of behaviour. To ensure your policies include the needs of females, engage with a broad cross-section of individuals involved in your sport. While any policy can impact on the ability for females to participate fully in your sport, there are some specific examples that are crucial to consider, such as uniforms and pregnancy.

Policy Development 

How to develop your policy

Vicsport recommends sport clubs and associations take the following steps through the development of their guidelines and policies. Each is explored in more detail further in this document:

1. Consult widely

2. Write the policy

3. Circulate the draft policy for feedback

4. Finalise and approve the policy

5. Communicate the policy

6. Set a date for review

A clear and well-planned process will ensure that your organisation develops a thorough policy that contributes to a strong and vibrant culture at your organisation.

Policy Development Step 1: Consult widely

Engage with a broad cross-section of individuals involved in your organisation. This may include committee members, volunteers, players, and parents. It may also include your local council and respective State Sport Association. Consultation provides an opportunity for people involved in your club to become aware of the issues you are trying to address. An additional benefit of consultation is increased ownership of the policy as members feel they have contributed to positive change in the club. For policies relating to children (such as child safety and protection), it is important to also involve members aged under 18 in the consultation process.

Step 2: Write the policy

When writing a policy, you should consider:

• The impact or change you want to achieve (for example, a flexible uniform policy may aim to increase participation by adolescent girls).
• The input and feedback you received during step 1.
• How this policy may link with any policies in place or being developed by your State Sporting Association.Are the key areas of the policy consistent with any existing policies? You may consider using existing policies as a template for the new policy draft.

Step 3: Circulate the draft policy for feedback

When you have finalised the policy, circulate a copy to members for feedback. Where possible, seek feedback from your State Sporting Association. You could also consider approaching other local sport clubs, or clubs in your league or association, to find out if they have similar policies in place. Usually, sporting organisations are willing to share resources.

Step 4: Finalise and approve the policy

Collate the feedback gained through the review process and update your policy draft. Once your policy has been finalised, you will need to identify who is required to approve it (committee or members). This should be outlined in your club’s constitution. Any approval that occurs at committee or member meetings should be minuted and recorded for future reference.

Step 5: Communicate the Policy

Once approved, communicate your new policy throughout your club on an ongoing basis. You may consider doing this through:

• Club website
• Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Sport/Team Apps).
• Newsletters (hard copy and emailed).
• Direct emails to your members.
• Displaying throughout clubrooms.

Step 6: Set a Date for Review

Once your policy is finalised and communicated to your members, set a date for the policy to be reviewed every two years and ensure it is updated accordingly.

Policy Examples 

Pregnancy

Each pregnancy and each sport is different, so sport clubs should seek advice from their State Sporting Association regarding pregnancy. There is an online scenario provided by Play by the Rules which will help you learn about the rights and responsibilities of players, coaches and administrators in relation to pregnancy and sport. You can also refer to these Sports Medicine Australia fact sheets.

Uniforms

In order to encourage women and girls of all ages to participate in sport and physical activity, flexibility with uniform requirements is recommended. Uniform requirements not only differ depending on the sport, but also the level of competition. For example, leagues and associations often have specific rules about uniforms which clubs are required to adhere to; while in less competitive or social sporting environments, clubs may be open to more relaxed uniform requirements. This document provides information to assist your club to develop guidelines or policies that allow women and girls to wear appropriate and comfortable uniforms during sport activities. The key message is that your approach should provide flexibility, be focused on the needs of the individual participating, and allow for greater participation by women and girls in your club.

Flexible uniforms

• Adolescent Girls

It is recognised that wearing short, revealing uniforms during puberty may deter some girls from continuing in sport or physical activity. There are many reasons for this, but central to the issue is a girl’s self-confidence and sense of place in the world. If a girl is not confident about her physical appearance, and does not feel comfortable in the uniform, she is unlikely to want to continue to play sport. This also applies to women of all ages.

• Culturally Diverse Backgrounds

In some cultures, women and girls’ dress codes are modest (or less revealing). While every sport has a different uniform style, there has been a trend towards more ‘revealing’ uniforms, which can be a barrier to entry. Uniforms should allow for appropriate movement and encourage participation. A flexible uniform policy allows appropriate dress codes for multiple cultural and religious beliefs.

Steps to take

Consider the following approach when developing guidelines or policies about flexible uniforms at your club:

• Recognise that in circumstances where religious and cultural beliefs conflict with the standard dress code, that modification to the standard uniform will be accommodated where possible (e.g. where safety and other playing requirements can be met).
• In addition, wherever possible consider flexibility in uniforms to encourage the participation of women and girls. This may include, but is not restricted to:
  • less restrictive, body hugging attire
  • the wearing of traditional head scarf
  • the wearing of leggings or tracksuits to cover legs
  • the wearing of long sleeve top to cover arms

• The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission is a great resource for more information. It also has a complaints hotline.
• The Victorian Government have developed a Fair Play Code for community sport.
• Your State Sport Association and National Sporting Organisation’s member protection policy will outline the processes for dealing with complaints and issues in your sport.