Gender Equity Policy

Owner: Governance & Policy Committee
Originally Board Approved: February 26, 2018
Last Revised: November 18, 2020
Last Reviewed: December 14, 2020

1.0 Purpose

The Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports is committed to developing and maintaining representation of all genders in sport, no matter their classification. This policy shall consider the rights and representation of all people with respect to MODS' programming and administration, regardless of gender. This document identifies specific areas of MODS' operation in which particular attention will be paid to matters of gender equity, but the organization's commitment to gender equity extends throughout its operation and is not limited to what appears below.

For more information on gender identification and inclusion, please refer to Ultimate Canada’s Inclusion Policy.

2.0 Policy

For the purpose of this document, 'women'/'woman'/'female' refers to all individuals identifying as female; 'male'/'man'/'men' refers to all individuals identifying as male.

2.1 Registration & Programming 
All Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports registration forms are to include the following options for reporting gender:

  • Female
  • Male
  • Non-binary
  • Prefer not to disclose

If either 'non-binary', or 'prefer not to disclose' are selected, the registrant will subsequently identify what gender they prefer to match up against during mixed ultimate play or notify the Director of League Operations as to their preferred match up when appropriate. 

2.2 Team Manitoba 
MODS recognizes that building an inclusive culture begins with our youth. To this end, the organization is committed to developing and maintaining a positive culture in the Team Manitoba program, so that youth and future leaders are oriented toward inclusion from the early stages of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD). In particular, MODS will:

  1. In order to have strong female role models for young women in sport, hire exclusively women as head coaches for all Team Manitoba female teams, along with a minimum of one female assistant coach. In the absence of qualified/interested candidates, MODS will remain committed to creating the resources in our community to train more women who can lead our junior women as coaches, role models, and leaders.
  2. Pay for any National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) or coaching training required to develop more female coaches to work with the Team Manitoba program.
  3. Have one female and one male mentor coach overseeing all development within the teams. These coaches will not only lead their own genders as role models but will cross over and work with teams of the opposing gender as well, showing that leadership and wisdom is not gender-based. While it is important to have gender alignment of role models (especially on the female side), it's equally important that we challenge historical norms by giving young men the opportunity to value expertise from elite female players.

2.3 Board Composition 
The MODS board is comprised of 9 directors (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary plus five members at large).To ensure gender diversity on the MODS board, the count of male and female board members should not differ by more than one. Vacancies are to be filled in strict accordance with this requirement. In the event of a vacancy with no suitable candidate of the required gender being found, the spot will be held vacant until one is found.

2.4 Ultimate Canada Conference

This conference represents the largest annual gathering of bright and committed administrators in the national ultimate community.

2.4.1 MODS is committed to having equal gender representation in attendance at UCC. The organization will actively recruit delegates to ensure this balance is maintained.

2.4.2 As needed, the cost of the clinic (which includes hotel and meals) as well as the cost of flights and childcare will be absorbed by MODS to enable this participation to occur.

2.4.3 The subsidy is available once every 3 years to an individual woman, so that other women in the community have a chance at the experience. This is not to say that an individual woman is not permitted to attend the conference by their own means during other years.

2.5 Staffing 
MODS is committed to an ongoing review of gender representation among full- and part-time employees, volunteers and committees/working groups, with hiring decisions to be informed by the ideal of equal representation.

2.6 Annual Programming Review 
MODS is committed to an annual review of its programming in view of gender-equity ideals, in recognition of the fact that the status quo is often more a function of history than intent.