‘We have to be a little more realistic’: women’s outdoor recreation experiences in a community hiking group

ABSTRACT

Grounded in the theoretical framework of ecological feminism, this study explores the tension between constraint and empowerment that often marks women’s participation in outdoor recreation. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and thirteen semi-structured interviews, this study examines how women in a co-ed community hiking group in the Midwest region of the United States experience the gendered space of outdoor recreation. Analysis of the observational and interview data resulted in five themes: Empowerment, Being Healthy, Cultural Expectations of Age, Vulnerability, and Navigation. Focusing on the latter three, we suggest that women’s experiences are impacted by gendered assumptions (such as a lack of navigational skill) and socialized beliefs (such as the fear of being alone) that temper the potential for expected outcomes of personal empowerment and improved physical and mental health.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• outdoor recreation
• ecofeminism
• women
• hiking

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Pseudonyms are used for the hiking group and all interview participants.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Olivia McAnirlin

Olivia McAnirlin is currently a PhD student studying Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at Clemson University. She strives to make being outdoors an inclusive experience through her research with the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab at Clemson University.

Callie Batts Maddox

Callie Batts Maddox is an assistant professor in the Department of Sport Leadership and Management at Miami University in Ohio where she teaches classes in the socio-cultural study of sport. Her research interests include the history of women’s baseball, global governance of sport, and contemporary yoga culture.