Gender Inequality In Hockey

James Mirtle’s article “The Great Offside: How Hockey Is Becoming a Game Strictly for the Rich” examines how rising costs have resulted in Canada’s native game becoming increasingly reserved for the wealthy. Historically hockey has been viewed as a blue-collar game played by kids from all different backgrounds. The high costs that have came with the advent of travel hockey and the ever increasing value of ice time have forced the sport of hockey to shed its blue collar roots and begin catering to a more upscale demographic. The high costs of hockey have, according to the article, led to a present-day in which only 1-in-10 Canadian youth are playing hockey on a regular-basis. It seems apparent that if something isn’t done soon, Canada’s native sport will begin to resemble golf, tennis and polo and begin to be seen as a sport reserved exclusively for the aristocratic.

Women playing hockey challenge the ideologies of gender that society has grounded itself upon. Historically, “professional sport remains largely a male preserve in which the majority of opportunities and rewards go to men”(Theberge, 73). The writer explains how gender historically constructed hockey to be solely for men. She entails that hockey was shaped the way it was to only attract those with power and no limitations, therefore suggesting that women can not take part in this activity. Needless to say, being a woman does not mean she is weak or has restrictions.

In the article titled Face-off on the playing field By, Judith B. Stamper explains girls have their own story of support or discrimination, success also the debate of girls be allowed to compete on boys’ sports team. First, the writer Title IX explains female athletes are been treated second-class for long enough and should pass of inequalities and biases of girls. The writer also clarifies that girls doing sports make them healthier, physically, and emotionally. Other girls that don’t play sports are less likely to use of drugs. In addition, she notes a former Stanford University basketball player Mariah says, strength and independence of things girls learn from sports, the opportunities that are changing women.

Destyne Marrero Psy 0184 Dr. C “Will Women Play Major League Baseball? (And Not Just on TV)” The article examines the societal debate that has been talk for a while: should women play sports alongside men? After a certain age the opportunity for girls to play specific sports are inherently very limited. Women are forced into sports like softball, field hockey, and powderpuff football, while the range of male sports seems unlimited.

There is a prolonged history marked by partition and discernment in women partaking in sports. On the other hand, female athletes and essential enhancements for gender equality and the empowerment of women also fulfill this history. Women in sport leadership shape attitudes concerning women’s abilities as decision-makers. In addition, there is a substantial influence to society development. The Federal Legislation generally referred to as Title IX, made it mandatory that American society recognizes a woman’s right to partake in sports.

In fact, one of my close friends, Ripley Crosley, is the only female who plays for the Mayfield Ice Hockey team, and she is actually one of the best players on the team. Lets face it, ice hockey is known by many as a male dominant sport, But not in this case. Ripley has actually been an ice hockey player since she was a little girl. She is so serious about her hockey career, that she even lived in Michigan for a year with one of her friends so that she was able to play on her travel league hockey team. Her travel team actually consists of many other females that are just as serious about ice hockey as Ripley is, proving that women are capable of playing a “male only” sport.

Women were not able to have that benefit as men had so it’s hard to compare both their sports knowledge and sportsmanship. Recently in this decade, we have seen magnificent women 's sports teams in soccer and baseball, which used to be only considered sports for men. Female athletes still have a struggle of when they get older because they are supposed to be the mom and take care of the kids and dinner but yet still have time to play and practice their sports professionally. An example, is that their is still a low ratio of women 's coaches compared to men and female coaches who have the potential to become leaders have not increased

There are many differences between the way the media portrays men’s and women’s sports. Looking at past media publications of sports, women were rarely featured. Though that has changed, there is still a distinct difference between the two genders. Whether it is print media, television, radio, or social media, men’s sports dominates all mediums. With coverage increasing, it still doesn’t show any improvement in how female sports are represented.

The three articles selected are entitled “The Gender Gap in Sport Performance: Equity Influences Equality” by Laura Capranica et al. , “100 Women: Is The Gender Pay Gap in Sport Really Closing?” by Valeria Perasso and “Gender Bias in American Sports: Lack of Opportunity, Lack of Administrative Positions and Lack of Coverage in Women’s Sports” by Erik F. Person. Generally, these three articles discussed about the gender gap in the field of sports which is often ignored and neglected. The gender gap in sports included a few aspects such as opportunity, media coverage, pay and sponsorship as well as participation and position.

It is challenging to have enough money to play the sport, even though most of the women work full time jobs aside from playing the game. Many players discuss how much of a person’s time it takes each week to play professional football (Migliaccio & Berg, 2007; Packard, 2009) and how this can hinder some people from playing (Migliaccio & Berg, 2007). Migliaccio & Berg (2007) noted that their study can’t account for all women’s experiences in sports because this sample was only two teams. With that said, the women’s stories are important

Women in sports can compete the same, and sometimes even stronger, as men so their pay should just be as much as them, and the gender pay gap shouldn’t be present. If both sexes play the exact same sport, why do they have different fiscal values? Many female athletes are equally talented compared to men so they should at least get paid the same. “The U.S. women’s team will get a $2 million bonus for winning the FIFA Women 's World Cup. A lot of money to you and me, yes.

Hegemony and stereotypes play a vital role with women in sports. We can see that years of hegemonic ideas have influenced stereotypes, however, the inscription of the dominant ideals in our heads are slowly being broken down by women, more specifically in the field of sports. Mia Hamm, a well-recognized soccer player, motivates women facing stereotypes. She encourages the need to break free of the hegemonic ideas that are surrounding women in sports by speaking upon the negativity that women dealt with. Women’s ability to pursue their passion have been limited by these stereotypes.

Is sport related inequality because female athletes don’t have what it takes to make it in sports? “‘At the end of the day, we expect to be treated equally as our male counterparts;...”’ (www.takepart.com, The Players Tribune). Women’s athletics haven’t been treated well since women had a say in what they wanted to do. All men’s and women’s sports should be equally important, equally safe in protective gear, and most importantly should be equally fun and satisfying.

Determining whether equality is going to be in professional sports will only come in the matter of time. It is something all women have to help each other out in. After taking a poll on the King’s College campus 85% of men I have asked mentioned that women should not have an equal pay as man do in the professional athletics. This shows that others do not believe that women should have the same benefits as men. Women put in just a much hard work as men.

Gender Inequality in sports is an issue as old as sport itself. I choose this topic because we as a society seem to sweep it under the rug time after time. Women in sports however, try to address the issue only to have it go on deaf ears, leaving them to continue in the sport hoping something will change. Over the last few decades, strides have been made, but he sport remains an institution dominated by men. These women, whether they are in sport or in the business world, want a fair chance to be on the same level as their male counterparts.