Women's Collective Identity Formation in Sports

Abstract

This research examines the emergence and development of a women's collegiate ice hockey club at a large university in the midwestern United States during the 1990s. The aim of this article is to assess the role that collective action plays in contesting sexist structures and practices within a traditionally male-dominated institution. This article draws on collective identity theory, as articulated in the social movement literature, to understand the process by which perceived injustices at an ice rink are translated into collective action on the part of a women's ice hockey club. The findings, based on fieldwork and interviews, demonstrate that the club's collective identity as a legitimate ice hockey organization was an important factor in the women's successful challenge of exclusionary practices at a university ice rink.

LIKE A NATURAL WOMAN:NEGOTIATING COLLECTIVE GENDER IDENTITY IN AN ALTERNATIVE WORLD

“…More recently, much attention has been paid by scholars of social movements. Researchers have examined the ways in which gender shapes mobilization (Gamson 1997), the gendered nature of organizational practices (Pelak 2002;Reger 2002) and movement strategies (Einwohner et al 2000), and the intersection of gender ideology and framing practices (Rohlinger et al 2002). Less research exists on the specific connections between shared gender identity and group processes in a social movement context.…”

“…In some cases, the alternative subculture has sufficient power to displace the larger cultural standards. This power often comes from the resonance of a collective identity with the individual identities of group members (Mueller 1994;Pelak 2002;Taylor 1999). In social contexts geared towards political activism around gender, participants must feel a connection to the group's shared gender identity in order for the message to be meaningful and a sense of solidarity to develop.…”

The case of the Women's United Soccer Association : explaining the rise and fall of a social movement organization.

“…The factor of collective identity is important in allowing an SM or SMO to establish itself effectively as illustrated by the work of Pelak (2002), a collective identity theorist. Pelak (2002) examined the creation and cycle of a collegiate club ice hockey team at a Midwestern university as a case study in an attempt to explain how one part of social movement theory, collective identity theory, can be used to force change in one area of male dominated sport (ice hockey).…”

“…Pelak (2002) examined the creation and cycle of a collegiate club ice hockey team at a Midwestern university as a case study in an attempt to explain how one part of social movement theory, collective identity theory, can be used to force change in one area of male dominated sport (ice hockey). Collective identity theory explores how a group creates its identity and includes defining the group, creating a group consciousness, and mobilizing to implement change, all factors affected by who is at the top.…”

“…The sample size of eight, was chosen based on other case studies on social movement organizations. Many of these studies consist of interviews with between five and 20 individuals (Costain, 1980;Pelak, 2002;Poster, 1995) key to the SMO being investigated; some however involved many more individual subjects, many of which did not conduct as in-depth interviews (Banaszak, 1996;Costain, 1981;Staggenborg, 1988).…”