Research Paper Hockey and Gender ahss2330.docx - AHSS*2330...

AHSS*2330 - Hockey and Candian Nation
Dr. Jason Wilson
The topic of gender equality in sports has been subject to controversy throughout the
nineteenth century and is a prevalent issue today. Gender integration in sports background is
defined as recognizing and treating differences between the sexes. In Canada, the struggle to win

recognition and acceptance for women's ice hockey has been an uphill battle. Females have
repeatedly faced discrimination and the sport is not valued as it is with men, for instance, females
can not compete with men and do not get as much air time as men’s hockey games.
Women’s ice hockey in Canada was presented in 1889 in Ottawa and 1992 in Barrie,
Ontario. On the other hand, men’s ice hockey began in 1875. Women’s ice hockey was
introduced 14 years after men’s hockey, despite both genders having the capabilities to play the
sport. It was not until the 1920s ice hockey started making international growth for men. In the
late 1920s and 1930s the number of women who played ice hockey gradually decreased. Females
were discouraged within a decade and criticized for playing hockey. Men’s hockey was
celebrated, promoted regularly, and is one of the biggest national leagues. Though women's
hockey is still growing; the difference between men’s and women’s hockey is decades apart.
There is a significant gap in the advancement of ice hockey for men and women. This was due to
the pressures of the Second World War and the Great Depression. During this time young
unmarried women were forced to join the labour forces as men left their jobs to join the military.
Another factor was that women were also considered the weaker sex and many believed they
could not perform as well as men. It wasn’t until the 1960s women’s ice hockey got back on
track. By this point, professional men’s ice hockey had already begun for 45 years, with the first
ever NHL game in Canada being played in 1917. A few years later the NHL had expanded into
the United States making it an international game, and had continued expanding worldwide after
that.
In the early 1900s, women were looked upon as spouses and mothers, and nothing more
than that. Gender norms and social beliefs in the 1900s were that playing hockey was too
aggressive and competitive for women as they were viewed as the weaker gender, and too

“feminine”. The notion of women being treated as the weaker sex was the basis of the law of no
body checking. This was because individuals in the hockey community believed women’s bodies
were unable to tolerate the physical contact endured throughout the game of ice hockey
(Weaving and Roberts 2012). During this period, it was acceptable for men to play hockey while
women were at home taking care of the kids, and women who did not fulfill their role of
housewives were often looked down upon. The theory of women being frail emerged in the early
1900s, which made them feel their natural condition was a weakness, and the aggressive and
competitive work should be left to men. This theory continued because many believed that
women were only meant for reproduction and that men were stronger both physically and
mentally (Weaving and Roberts 2012). A result of weak women stereotypes set by society in this
era was women began to believe that because of their bodies they were unable to perform stunts
like body checking. In the early 19 th century “The International Olympic Committee and