Invisible pioneers? The impact of women on the recreation movement

Abstract

This article explores and describes the impact of women on the American recreation movement from 1900 to 1960. The theses that emerged in this article are that women were actively involved in the early and middle years of the movement, that their activities were different from men's activities and thus largely invisible as recorded in the history of the recreation movement, and that the social “ethic of caring” embodied the professional and volunteer activities that women undertook. These theses provided a transitional history about the women who were involved with the recreation movement in various capacities. Although notable women were identified through the data collection, it was the “collective biography” of the women in the field that provided the archetypical model that described the impact of women on the recreation movement.

Keywords:

• Ethic of caring
• feminism
• playgrounds
• professional associations
• recreation movement
• roles
• volunteers
• women