The Ontario government wants to boost the number of women and girls participating in sports as part of its game plan to address a gender gap that has led to far fewer females on the field and behind the bench.

The plan, released Tuesday in Toronto by Eleanor McMahon, the province’s minister of tourism, culture and sport, will create an advisory group to suggest how to increase participation. It will also ensure youth programs are welcoming, with properly trained staff, and push for 60 minutes of activity each day, either during or after school.

McMahon said the plan will make “the entire sports system more equitable, welcoming and inclusive,” and she will present it to sports ministers from across the country at a meeting later this week.

“Our action plan will help level the playing field between men and women so that everyone has the chance to achieve their potential — on and off the field,” said Premier Kathleen Wynne, in a written statement.

Wynne, who once held a high school record for the 440-yard dash, has said “being an athlete has had a direct and power influence on my life and career.”

According to research, just 2 per cent of teenage girls get enough activity, and only one in 10 takes gym class after Grade 9, the only high school year it is mandatory. Among women, one in five participate in sport, compared to more than one-third of men. Among coaches, women — both at the national level and at post-secondary institutions — typically make up fewer than one in five.

For 2016-17, the government pledged $1.3 million on activities and competitions for girls and women, as well as programming for at-risk parents and kids.

Last year, it also commissioned the University of Toronto’s Centre for Sport Policy Studies to examine the issue. Lead researcher Peter Donnelly said while women’s opportunities at highly competitive levels are increasing, “there are serious gaps at all other levels.” He said the province’s plan is a good start.

Poverty and immigration — those new to the country are less likely to take part in sports — are two main barriers, he added.

The privatization of sports and user fees in public facilities have made many activities unaffordable and cater to an elite level, he said. At colleges and universities, there are fewer and fewer fully supported teams for women, he added.

Donnelly had hoped the province’s plan would include a recommendation to send out researchers to speak to women across the province to simply ask “what would it take” to get them involved in sport.

One big concern is that very few women continue into leadership roles, said York University kinesiology and health science professor Parissa Safai, who is a member of a federal-provincial working group on women and girls in sport. “It’s something the province has wisely tuned in to. That’s the strength of the plan.”

Safai said “participation and leadership are clearly emerging as key pillars for Ontario, moving forward,” and while important, they “need to be taken and understood amidst a whole other bunch of issues,” such as poverty or gender-based violence.

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She would like to see the government address the wage gap, which leaves more women unable to afford sports or without any “disposable time” to take part. As well, creating a welcoming environment for female sports leaders must be a priority.

However, she added, the action plan “is an incredible thing to be doing — to be paying attention to the gender gap in sport. Because we know that sport is so meaningful.”

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