International Women's Day 2026: Spotlight Projects in Public Affairs

Inspiring change- How Sport England’s ‘System Partners’ are addressing inequality in physical activities for women and girls

By Joanna Scott 

Our work evaluating Sport England’s System Partner investment offers a chance to reflect on how organisations are creating more opportunities for women and girls in sport. I loved playing football in primary school, but that stopped the moment I got to secondary school. Girls didn’t play sports at breaktime, and it was too competitive. In a misguided attempt to fit in, I stopped something I loved. Thirty years on, I’m so glad things are changing. 

There is still a gender gap in activity – girls are less likely to be active than boys, and this is more pronounced among girls with two or more characteristics of inequality – but the barriers are breaking down. Sport England's Uniting the Movement strategy places a priority on tackling these inequalities and their System Partner funding is aiming to support system change to help address these. We have been hearing through our evaluation how this long-term funding is empowering funded organisations to creatively reshape their programmes to be more inclusive. This includes sport in schools and at a community level, as well as ‘talent pathways’ for finding the next competitive athletes.  For example, the Football Association’s Discover My Talent programme allows anyone, from teachers to coaches, to refer a talented player, identifying potential in diverse communities. Other organisations are creating supportive environments, with new training programmes, girls/women-only sessions, and coach development.  

How does the project align with the theme of ‘give to gain’:

System Partners we’ve been speaking to as part of our evaluation have described how they are “flipping [processes] on their head” to consider new ways of working and engaging women and girls into their sports and to increase access for more diverse groups. This was a stand out finding for me. They are learning “not copy the boys game”. They are learning that, to break long-standing traditions and behaviours, they can create new ways of working. This involves collaborating with local partners, co-designing programmes with young people, upskilling coaches and volunteers, and being more responsive to different people’s needs. This is about more than finding the next Lioness – although their success is an important source of inspiration for many. This is about empowering all girls to build confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love of being active, and doing this on their own terms. 

International Women’s Day reminds us of the importance of raising awareness of the persistent inequalities and challenges that women face globally, and advocating for change. The policy and cultural changes needed to create equitable and inclusive environments for women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity remain significant. The emerging learning from our evaluation of Sport England’s System Partner funding suggests this type of system change is happening. By creating diverse routes into sport, challenging pervasive narratives and ways of working, these initiatives challenge stereotypes, make participation in sport more accessible, and cultivate visible role models for the next generation.  

Researcher interests:

There is so much more to learn about how to evaluate this type of long-term systems change. In a challenging financial context, organisations have difficult decisions to make about what to prioritise for funding. As evaluators, we need to help them to make evidence-based decisions. This is no easy task: it’s often too early to make a robust assessment of impact, and invariably there is a messy, complex story about attribution and causality.  

With Sport England, we are embracing this challenge. We are experimenting with new ways of working and sharing our learning to ensure that investment in both the programmes and the evaluation itself, is helping them to make better decisions to enable long-term change.  

The evaluation of the Domestic Abuse Duty for Support in Safe Accommodation

By Haley Jones and Caroline Paskell 

Ipsos and Ecorys, commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, conducted a 3-year evaluation of Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The aim of the duty is to ensure that all victim-survivors of domestic abuse, including their children, are able to access appropriate support in safe accommodation whenever they need it. 

A mixed-methods, theory-based process and impact evaluation was undertaken. This included longitudinal case studies across 19 local authorities, incorporating 799 research engagements with adult and child survivors, local authority leads, and service providers. Qualitative fieldwork was complemented by quantitative analysis of national monitoring data, qualitative comparative analysis, agent-based modelling, and a Value for Investment assessment. Three rapid evidence reviews and co-development groups, including a Lived Experience Panel, further strengthened the design. 

How does the project align with the theme of 'give to gain':

The evaluation demonstrates that the Domestic Abuse Duty has helped protect and expand support provision, contributing to increasing the scale and diversity of services while strengthening cross-agency collaboration in some areas. In responding to the duty, councils and providers have improved day-to-day safety and stability for survivors and actively reinforced recognition of children as victims in their own right, with distinct support needs.

A key strength of the evaluation was its survivor-centred approach. Children and young people participated directly, ensuring their experiences were not filtered solely through adults. Adult survivors’ voices shaped the assessment of access to safe accommodation, the quality and appropriateness of support, and longer-term outcomes. The research ensured diverse perspectives were heard, including male and female survivors, survivors with disabilities and LGBTQ+ survivors, as well as survivors from different ethnic and national backgrounds and asylum seekers, using interpreters as needed to facilitate participation.

The findings are highly relevant to advancing gender equality. By examining access, equity, effectiveness and value for money, the evaluation highlights clear progress while identifying ongoing structural barriers to equitable support. It provides actionable evidence to strengthen survivor-informed commissioning, improve multi-agency working, and build more responsive and accountable systems — supporting wider efforts to tackle domestic abuse and support survivors' long-term wellbeing.

Researcher interest:

As this evaluation identified areas for improvement—particularly around equitable access, survivor-informed commissioning, children’s dedicated support, and outcomes monitoring—a follow-up project could examine how local authorities and partners have responded over time.

This could provide insight into whether recommendations have translated into change such as in commissioning models, partnership structures, data collection, and frontline practice. It would also enable assessment of progress made in addressing gaps identified for marginalised groups, children with additional needs, and survivors facing barriers to accessing safe accommodation. A longitudinal element could capture whether early implementation changes are sustained and whether they lead to measurable improvements in survivor outcomes, including safety, wellbeing and longer-term independence.

Igniting Youth Futures: Empowering Young Women Through Skills and Meaningful Work

By Evie Cogley

Igniting Youth Futures (IYFutures) is a three-year pilot programme (2025-2028) led by World YMCA, which convenes, co-ordinates, and supports country level implementation by national YMCAs and partners across India, South Africa, and Spain. The project aims to reach 81,000 young people aged 18-30 who face barriers to employment. The programme defines 'meaningful work' as work that goes beyond just employment – it's work with purpose that is beneficial to individuals, families, and society, creating positive societal impact.

As the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning partner, Ipsos is working with YMCA teams to track participant journeys and understand what works for different groups. Notably, the programme deliberately targets underserved young people with specific attention to gender equity – aiming for 60% female participation in South Africa, supporting young women in India's informal economy, and reaching migrant women in Spain who face compound barriers of gender discrimination and legal status challenges. With youth unemployment rates exceeding 60% in South Africa and 30% in Spain, young women in these contexts face additional challenges including care responsibilities, safety concerns accessing training venues, and gender bias in hiring practices, particularly in emerging sectors like technology and green economy roles.

How does the project align with the theme of 'give to gain':

The IYFutures programme embodies the 'give to gain' principle by creating multiplier effects through knowledge sharing and community investment. The programme provides young people with concrete resources including digital skills training through learning to earning pathways - one-to-one career coaching and mentoring; personalised career planning and assessments; practical workshops and interview preparation; and direct connections to internships and job opportunities. When YMCA centres provide digital literacy training to young women who have historically been excluded from technology sectors, they're not just teaching skills – they're breaking generational cycles of exclusion.

The programme's reciprocal nature is evident across all three countries. In India, where over 90% of the labour market is informal, the programme's mentorship components connect experienced business owners with young people starting enterprises, creating support networks that strengthen entire communities. In Spain, the programme works with employers to provide meaningful opportunities, while addressing the specific needs of young migrants and those who left education early. In South Africa, with its focus on townships and informal settlements, the programme recognises how investing in young women creates ripple effects throughout communities.

The programme recognises that giving takes many forms. YMCA centres create safe, women-only learning spaces and volunteer mentors share their time and expertise. Perhaps most powerfully, through young people’s representation in governance bodies, young women aren't just programme recipients but active contributors, shaping design and delivery based on their lived experiences. When organisations adapt to meet young women's needs – offering flexible scheduling or addressing childcare barriers – they gain valuable insights into building truly inclusive services. This reciprocal approach means that every adaptation, every investment, and every opportunity created doesn't just help individuals; it strengthens the entire ecosystem of support.

Researchers interest:

On a personal note, I've found it fascinating to see how the programme adapts across such different country contexts. Meeting with teams in India, South Africa and Spain has really brought home how diverse the barriers facing young people are across these contexts. The challenges confronting a young woman trying to break into Spain's formal tech sector look completely different from those faced by women navigating South Africa's township economies or India's vast informal labour market. Yet despite these stark differences, surprising commonalities emerge – particularly in how young women across all three countries balance family expectations with their own career aspirations.

As the evaluation continues, I hope to explore more deeply what 'meaningful work' actually looks like for women and girls across these settings. Does it mean job security, fair wages, opportunities for progression, or something more intangible like respect and purpose?

I'm also particularly excited about establishing the Youth Advisory Boards (YAB) in the coming months. Too often, research about young people is conducted without them having real input into what gets measured or how their experiences are understood. The YAB will help ensure we're not just extracting data but creating a genuine dialogue for these young people.