Toe picks and hockey sticks : children and the gendering of figure skating and hockey
department or school: Graduate Studies, College of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Westoby, Crysta Ann-Marie
issued: 2013-04-23T09:10:19Z
issued: 2013
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Figure skating and hockey are two sports that currently are gendered as feminine and masculine, respectively. This study originated in my concern that gendered sports may be a discouragement to youth participation. This research project was undertaken in order to understand how figure skating and hockey are gendered in a community arena in rural British Columbia and how this might impact youth involvement. My methods included participant observation, interviews, and focus groups. The data from these ethnographic techniques are interpreted according to the concept that people both actively reinforce and resist the gendering of their sport. As a result of the study, I found that gendering hockey as masculine was often contested by female hockey players. Although females in recreational hockey seem to be largely accepted and welcome on mixed teams, the opposite was the case for females pursuing hockey competitively alongside their male peers. Gendering figure skating as feminine was largely uncontested, in part due to the lack of males participating in the sport. In addition, the interactions between hockey players and figure skaters frequently served to reinforce the gendering of these two sports. The key recommendation from this study is for both groups to be aware that the gendering of their sports seems to be a subconscious deterrent and they should take steps to counteract this trend.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/44359
note: TOE PICKS AND HOCKEY STICKS: CHILDREN AND THE GENDERING OF FIGURE SKATING AND HOCKEY by Crysta Ann-Marie Westoby B.A., The University of British Columbia, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Interdisciplinary Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) April 2013 © Crysta Westoby, 2013 ii Abstract Figure skating and hockey are two sports that currently are gendered as feminine and masculine, respectively. This study originated in my concern that gendered sports may be a discouragement to youth participation. This research project was undertaken in order to understand how figure skating and hockey are gendered in a community arena in rural British Columbia and how this might impact youth involvement. My methods included participant observation, interviews, and focus groups. The data from these ethnographic techniques are interpreted according to the concept that people both actively reinforce and resist the gendering of their sport. As a result of the study, I found that gendering hockey as masculine was often contested by female hockey players. Although females in recreational hockey seem to be largely accepted and welcome on mixed teams, the opposite was the case for females pursuing hockey competitively alongside their male peers. Gendering figure skating as feminine was largely uncontested, in part due to the lack of males participating in the sport. In addition, the interactions between hockey players and figure skaters frequently served to reinforce the gendering of these two sports. The key recommendation from this study is for both groups to be aware that the gendering of their sports seems to be a subconscious deterrent and they should take steps to counteract this trend. iii Preface This research was conducted with approval from the Behavioural Research Ethics Board at the University of British Columbia Okanagan on February 14, 2011 (UBC BREB Numbe…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2013-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0073666
language: eng
degree discipline: Interdisciplinary Studies
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/44359