By Heather Robertson
Local female athletes say gender discrimination in sport continues to exist, and the situation isn’t getting much better.
That reaction comes after the recent award of $2 million to Heather Mercer, a female kicker cut from Duke University’s football team, after a jury determined that Mercer was the victim of gender discrimination on the part of Duke’s officials.
“It happens especially for field hockey because our sport is looked at as not important at all,” says Marlene Rodrigues of Kent Street, who plays the sport for Carleton University.
“We used to practice at Lansdowne Park, but it got torn up to put down grass for football for the guys,” says Rodrigues.
Now, the team must go to Nepean to practise and play games.
Rodrigues says her sport isn’t promoted well and doesn’t get the respect it deserves.
“People see it as a sissy sport. They say ‘what kind of sport is that?’ and ‘go play in your little skirts!’,” says Rodrigues.
Kristy Thompson, whose women’s ice hockey team plays at McNabb Arena on Percy Street, agrees.
Thompson played in a boys hockey league when she was younger because it was more competitive, and experienced a great deal of discrimination.
“They didn’t want me trying out for the competitive (boys) league.
They would argue ‘We let you play in our league so why can’t we play in your (girls) league?’”
Karin Lofstrom, an executive for the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport , says that Canada is “getting a lot better, but there are situations where (gender bias) does exist.”
“We are working with Sport Canada, and each sport has a sport equity policy that they have to abide by in order to get government funding,” says Lofstrom.
The Sport Equity Policy, implemented in 1986 by Sport Canada, underlines the importance of equal opportunity in competition, coaching, officiating and administering of sports.
“At higher levels of sport, there seems to be more awareness of the rules,” she says.
“I think discrimination varies at different levels,” she says. “It depends on attitudes, support, and education.
“There’s more awareness now because more women are playing all types of sports.”
Lofstrom does admit that there are still problems at the elite levels of sports, citing the skimpy beach volleyball uniforms women are forced to play in as an example.
“The idea is that they don’t have a choice,” she says. “It is used to attract male viewers.”
She says it’s also harder for female teams to book locations for practices and games.
Both Rodrigues and Thompson agree, noting their teams have been bumped from locations and times to make room for men’s teams.
Lofstrom says there is hope, but women can’t relax in their quest for equality in sports.
“On a large scale, it’s gotten a little better,” explains Lofstrom. “There’s still a long way to go.”