Patriarchal Penalty: Genderwashing at Hockey Canada

Abstract

Our chapter explores the impacts of genderwashing practices within Hockey Canada (HC), a national organization that governs major and minor hockey leagues in Canada. A 2018 case involving allegations of sexual assault by members of the U20 junior men's hockey team acted as a catalyst to expose HC's organizational practice of silencing victims and covering up bad behavior. Through the application of media content analysis, we argue that HC's responses to the case (financial settlements, Nondisclosure Agreements, and a new educational and training program) reflect genderwashing practices and exemplify a superficial attempt to address sexual violence within the organization. What results is a culture of silence, poor leadership, and the normalization of violence within HC. Our chapter contributes to the genderwashing literature, through the development and application of genderwashing as a conceptual framework that can be applied to responses to allegations of sexual assault.

Citation

Baker, H. and Chisholm, J. (2024), "Patriarchal Penalty: Genderwashing at Hockey Canada", Gardiner, R.A., Fox-Kirk, W., Elliott, C.J. and Stead, V. (Ed.) Genderwashing in Leadership (Transformative Women Leaders), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 101-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-988-820241008