Women’s hockey has never been on the same level as men’s hockey but why is that? The only differences in the rules of the game are there is no hitting in women’s ice hockey and the women are required to wear cages on their helmets. Other than these two rules, both genders still must go through the same exact training to compete in the game that they love. WIth that being said, women’s ice hockey only really appears on t.v. during the Winter Olympics every four years. So how can one country be so dominant in men’s ice hockey but be so weak in women’s hockey? The women’s national teams in Switzerland and Sweden are two examples of teams that rank among the worst, but their men’s teams rank among the best. On the other hand, Japan has a very weak men’s team but a very good women’s team. The only explanation for this phenomenon is the lack of support and the lack of women competing in sports in general. Women do not make the kind of money men do and there is just a low demand for the sport altogether.
With the low popularity for women’s ice hockey there has been talk about taking the sport out of the Winter Olympics. This would destroy the sport altogether. The Olympics are the one time women’s hockey is really popular because everyone wants their nation to be the best. Without the Olympics, the sport would be lost and there would be even less women who want to play ice hockey. In order to preserve the sport, I strongly believe women’s ice hockey should remain in the Olympics.
http://suite101.com/article/girl-power-on-ice-a209042
