Women of the Wild: Gender and Leadership in Outdoor Education

My research addresses the lack of female participation in leadership positions within the outdoor education industry (positions such as raft guides, rock and mountain guides, wilderness therapists, and field instructors) and the sociological explanation for this absence. I found, through interviews with women in this world, that a general barrier to entry for females is the socialization of both men and women to believe that there is little space for women and girls to interact or compete with the natural world, but copious opportunities for men and boys. This project has produced intriguing findings from even just a small sample of participants and helps to begin filling the hole in sociological literature pertaining to gender and the natural world. The initial inspiration for this project was my personal observation of a lack of female representation in the student leadership team of the Emory & Henry Outdoor Program. The deliverable, based on the results, will circle back to this personal start with the eventual development of a seminar program for outdoor education organizations such as college programs to discuss the influence of gendered socialization on the in-the-moment interactions of male and female trip leaders with each other and their environment.