ABSTRACT
Evidence of the male-dominated nature of the outdoor field persists despite advances by women and girls in outdoor participation. Gender role socialisation continues to be a factor in unequal power relationships in outdoor programmes and leadership positions for adult women, while feminist critiques of teaching and learning in the outdoors point out its gender-privileged nature. More recently, a movement towards studying girls’ experience arose, with this literature suggesting effective strategies for girls’ outdoor programming. This chapter will delve into these topics as well as questions about the continued emphasis on women-only experiences, gendered messages about the outdoor experience, intersectionality in the outdoors, and if new research can find ways to mitigate factors that continue to disadvantage women and girls in outdoor programming. Finally, gaps in the outdoor literature concerning gender, including the reluctance to explore masculinity in outdoor adventure, the invisibility of the experience of women/girls of colour, its heteronormative nature and nascent attention to transgendered issues, will be examined.
