Female hockey refs face glass ceiling

VANCOUVER A woman who helped forge a path for female hockey officials in Canada says there’s still work to be done in combating gender inequality across the sport.

A lot has changed since Laurie Taylor-Bolton first picked up a whistle in Newmarket, Ont., in the early 1980s. She was the lone woman among a sea of 41 men at her first training clinic and was 15 years old when she joined the small handful of female officials working across Canada.

“You can imagine there were a lot of inappropriate and offensive comments directed at me on the ice,” she said in an email.

But while female officials say they’re no longer subjected to onice harassment, some say there’s still work to be done in breaking down barriers and fully incorporating women into hockey.

“We need women to be seen as the strong, independent role models in leadership positions,” said Taylor-Bolton, now referee in-chief for the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association. “I want young girls to know they have just as many opportunities.”

However, the push for change has at times been slow.

Taylor-Bolton noted that female officials in Canada can’t achieve the same level of certification as their male counterparts.

Under Hockey Canada’s system, men can attain Level 6 certification, while women top out at Level 5. The women’s top level “clearly mirrors” the men’s, but it’s problematic that the inequality persists, Taylor-Bolton said.

Last month, Erica Holmes spoke to The Canadian Press about her frustration over being passed up for work in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. The Calgarybased official wants to work as a linesman in the AJHL, but said she was being held back to work as a ref at lower levels while her male colleagues advanced.

The AJHL said the decision not to advance Holmes wasn’t based on her gender.

A woman’s physical ability to break up fights has long been cited as a reason for keeping female officials from working higher-level male games, she added.

But it’s not an excuse TaylorBolton finds valid.

“In 2019, we have females working in the military, fire fighting, police officers and many other dangerous and very physical ( jobs),” Taylor-Bolton said.

“I think that debate ended years ago and I suspect hockey would follow.”