Sexism in the Outdoors
- July 2020
- Hi Steph
Hi Steph,
I wonder if you could write a little about how you deal with sexism in the outdoors world?I’ve read your books and I don’t think I recall you mentioning any problems in terms of sexism or discrimination in your sports and activities (or I could just have forgotten as I read them years ago).
More than once on a hike, I’ve had other women say to me that “it’s better to bring a man along” when in the outdoors. And more than once on a hike, I’ve had male companions come unprepared/hungover/unfit/throw up/get too tired and then we have to turn back and go home.
So every time a woman says that to me, I get pretty wound up and annoyed. I don’t want to come across as some bitter angry person, but I also want to educate them that it’s not your gender that makes you prepared for the outdoors, but your experience, fitness levels, and preparedness.
Have you encountered anything like this in all your time outside (or even inside)?
Thank you (and I hope you come out with another book again!)
🙂 H
Hi H,
Thank you for writing to me: I did write a little bit about some of my experiences with this in High Infatuation. Overall I don’t feel that sexism has been very prevalent in my life, and that may be because I have spent so much of it in the climbing world where, in my experience, most people are mainly seeing each other as individuals.
I’ve definitely experienced the effects of sexism in business and throughout my career, being so connected to marketing and image. Early on I got the message that sex sells, as much in the outdoor world as in the mainstream world. In my 25 years as a professional climber, there has certainly been plenty of pressure to present myself as a sexual/feminine object more than as an athlete who is female. I have seen countless opportunities pass me by and go to others because I chose to present myself as an athlete. Although many of these experiences made me feel highly frustrated and were not the right choice if the goal was purely financial, staying true to myself has given me longevity and respect in my career. Sexism is systemic in our culture, but I choose to reject it on a personal level. This type of challenge falls in the category of things I can’t change (like wind, for example), and I’ve learned it’s up to me to manage my emotions and my own actions, because that’s all I can control.
I’ve learned that my life experience is directly shaped by what I choose to focus on and my attitude toward the world. I don’t think much about gender when I’m climbing or hiking or BASE jumping or running or doing these things with other people. I was trying to think of any recent moment where I had an interaction with someone that involved a sexist comment or behavior, and I can’t come up with anything. If it did happen, I expect I would feel and look extremely confused and would probably say “that’s weird…” and then just feel kind of awkward for that person for embarrassing themself.
This is a big question, and I’d like to hear more from others because we all have different experiences and different ways of handling challenges.
Steph
