By having women compete against men seems to put them at a disadvantage, as the dance remains male-dominated. Hoop dancers tend to be taught by a mentor, through what can be many years of study. With few women in the field, girls learning to dance have fewer role models and mentors of the same gender. Yet this integrated system also places men and women at the same level, and does not necessitate the creation of a “women’s” version of the dance. Two-time world champion Lisa Odjig has a very traditional style of hoop dance, and does not include other aspects the way Bird and Sykes Torres do. As Theresa Smith says in her essay about Anishnaabe women, “my own work…has concentrated upon the complementary character of female and male power and the importance of gender-specific rituals that access distinct yet coequal power for men and women. And while I still believe that these are important and realistic emphases, I have begun to think that [they] belie and insufficient and overly rigid understanding…of women’s roles in Native North America” .

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