The Training of Mountain Leaders – Some Gender Concerns

This paper reports on a nation‐wide survey of mountain leaders (n = 710). It was designed to examine the scheme of training and assessment offered by the Scottish Mountain Leader Training Board. It revealed a number of differences in the way men and women perceive and use the scheme. Specifically, it revealed that significantly fewer women are involved in the scheme compared to men and also a sharpening imbalance as the scheme develops. This was contrasted to the general balance in participation figures and performance potential and discussed in relation to findings from other sports. Possible reasons for imbalance were discussed such as fund‐raising, lack of relevance and absence of role models, as well as strategies for overcoming the imbalance. Specifically, it was suggested that a central problem may lie in the structure and culture of the leadership scheme and not in the way it is delivered.

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Bob Sharp

Bob Sharp is with the Scottish School of Sport Studies, University of Strathclyde.