"Try Not to Make Waves": Managing Gender Discrimination in Outdoor Recreation

The presence of women in male-dominated settings, such as outdoor adventure recreation, is received with suspicion, whereby they must demonstrate competence before they are accepted and treated as being equal to men. This multiple case study examined four female professional outdoor athletes to expl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Leisure sciences 2023-08, Vol.45 (6), p.542-558
Main Authors: Evans, Kate E., Schmalz, Dorothy L., Anderson, Denise M., Agate, Sarah Taylor
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
discrimination
gender roles
outdoor recreation
professional athletes
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Summary:The presence of women in male-dominated settings, such as outdoor adventure recreation, is received with suspicion, whereby they must demonstrate competence before they are accepted and treated as being equal to men. This multiple case study examined four female professional outdoor athletes to explore experiences of gender discrimination in their professional interactions and their response to those experiences. The athletes experienced disparate treatment and each articulated distinct and clear examples of overt discrimination. In response to this discrimination, the athletes downplayed their experiences and indicated they could or should have managed these situations better and described how they took it upon themselves to adapt to the "reality" of being a woman in the professional ranks of outdoor recreation. While the athletes' responses conform to broad cultural expectations, they warrant additional investigation and exploration.
ISSN:0149-0400
1521-0588
DOI:10.1080/01490400.2020.1842824