Together We Have Impact: Exploring Gendered Experiences in Outdoor Leadership

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/JOREL-2020-V12-I1-9937

Keywords:

outdoor leadership, implicit bias, gender, feminist narrative inquiry, art-based research

Abstract

Recent dialogue in outdoor leadership has led to the realization that more care and attention is required to ensure the profession receives the benefits of diverse perspectives. In this paper, we report on stories gathered through feminist narrative inquiry via art-based approaches from 32 participants attending one of three outdoor conferences in Australia. The arts-based workshops aimed to provide a safe space for participants to reflect upon how gender may have influenced their outdoor leadership journey. Three key gender-related themes emerged through a thematic analysis of the reflective process: (1) noninclusive practices, (2) inclusive practices, and (3) suggestions to increase equity and inclusivity to embrace and enact. Further exploration of these themes highlighted the value of single-gender environments and the influence of supportive mentors while illuminating the societal privileges, unconscious entitlement, and implicit biases prevailing in the profession. Finally, we draw attention to gender erasure and the imbalance in voice and suggest collaborative efforts that move the outdoor leadership profession forward and ensure the benefits of diverse perspectives are received.

Subscribe to JOREL

Author Biographies

Sandy Allen-Craig, Australian Catholic University

Sandy is a Senior Lecturer in Outdoor Leadership at the Australian Catholic University. She has developed and implemented courses of Outdoor Education at the national tertiary level for over 30 years. She is a published academic conducting research into the conditions of outdoor employment, program outcomes, risk management, bush adventure therapy and gender equity within the Outdoor profession. She is currently the Deputy Chair of Outdoors Victoria, an Executive Member of Outdoor Education Australia and an Associate Editor of Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education.

Tonia Gray, Western Sydney University

Tonia Gray, PhD is a Senior Researcher in the Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University. As a researcher, teacher-educator, and curriculum developer of Outdoor Education and Health/Physical Education for over 30 years her transdisciplinary research explores human-nature relationships and their impact on health and well-being. She is currently Chair of the Australian Tertiary Outdoor Education Network (ATOEN) and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education.

Rylie Charles, Western Sydney University

Rylie Charles is an Outdoor Education graduate from the Australian Catholic University and is currently studying a Master of Philosophy (Education) at Western Sydney University. Her research topic focuses on gender inclusive leadership in higher degree Outdoor Education. She also works as a freelance outdoor leader and loves to share her experiences in the outdoors with others. 

Teresa Socha, Lakehead University

Teresa Socha, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Her research and teaching interests include fat studies, feminist and sociocultural theory, anti-oppressive education, and initial teacher education.

Marg Cosgriff, The University of Waikato

Marg Cosgriff is a Senior Lecturer in Te Huataki Waiora, the School of Health at the University of Waikato in Aotearoa New Zealand. She has a longstanding research and professional interest in gender in outdoor learning.

Denise Mitten, Prescott College

A widely experienced adventure guide, from SCUBA to mountaineering, Professor Mitten designed an award winning outdoor and leadership program for women (Woodswomen, Inc.) that included an apprenticing program for women, opening the door to outdoor leadership to many women. Over 10,000 women and children enjoyed this outdoor programming including women survivors, women with eating disorders, nuns in recovery, women felons, LGBTQAI+ youth, and socially and economically disadvantaged women and children. In 2015 Dr. Mitten received the Distinguished Researcher Award for her creative and innovative impacts to research within the experiential education community, including examining how body image relates to participation in outdoor activities.

TA Loeffler, Memorial University of Newfoundland

TA Loeffler, PhD is a Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation. She brings 30 years of expertise leading people through significant life-changing experiences to every facet of her work. Both her work and adventures have taken her to 40 different countries and all seven continents. TA is a recognized expert in the area of gender and Outdoor Education. She has several publications in this area. Her work in the area of competency development in Outdoor Education is well respected and frequently cited. TA has presented this body of work throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. 

References

Allin, L. (2000). Women into outdoor education: Negotiating a male-gendered place. In B. Humberstone (Ed.), Her outdoors: Risk, challenge, and adventure in gendered open spaces (pp. 51–68). Brighton, United Kingdom: Leisure Studies Association.

Allin, L., & Humberstone, B. (2006). Exploring careership in outdoor education and the lives of women outdoor educators. Sport, Education, and Society, 11(2), 135–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573320600640678

Anisman-Razin, M., Kark, R., & Saguy, T. (2018). “Putting gender on the table”: Understanding reactions to women who discuss gender inequality. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21(5), 690–706. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430217744648

Ansara, Y. G., & Hegarty, P. (2014). Methodologies of misgendering: Recommendations for reducing cisgenderism in psychological research. Feminism & Psychology, 24(2), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353514526217

Avery, M. E., Norton, C., & Tucker, A. (2018). Blazing a trail…together: The need for mentoring and collaboration amongst women in outdoor leadership. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning environments (pp. 801–813). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_55

Becker, J., & Barreto, M. (2014). Ways to go: Men’s and women’s support for aggressive and non-aggressive confrontation of sexism as a function of gender identification. Journal of Social Issues, 70(4), 668–686. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12085

Bell, M. G., Cosgriff, M., Lynch, P., & Zink, R. (2018). Nourishing terrains? Troubling terrains? Women’s outdoor work in Aotearoa New Zealand. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning environments (pp. 199–217). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_12

Bourke, J. (2016). Which two heads are better than one? How diverse teams create breakthrough ideas and make smarter decision. Sydney: Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Browne, L. P., Gillard, A., & Garst, B. A. (2019). Camp as an institution of socialization: Past, present, and future. Journal of Experiential Education, 42(1), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825918820369

Chase, S. E. (2008). Narrative inquiry: Multiple lenses, approaches, voices. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (pp. 57–94). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429500480-5

Delay, R., & Dyment, J. (2003). A toolkit for gender-inclusive wilderness leadership. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, 74(7), 28–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2003.10609234

Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2016). Why diversity programs fail. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail

Duguid, M. M., & Thomas-Hunt, M. C. (2015). Condoning stereotyping? How awareness of stereotyping prevalence impacts expression of stereotyping. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(2), 343–359. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037908

Dwyer, R., Davis, I., & emerald, e. (Eds.). (2017). Narrative research in practice: Stories from the field. Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1579-3

Dwyer, R., & emerald, e. (2017). Narrative research in practice: Navigating the terrain. In R. Dwyer, I. Davis, & e. emerald (Eds.), Narrative research in practice: Stories from the field (pp. 1–25). Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1579-3_1

Finley, S. (2008). Arts-based research. In J. G. Knowles & A. L. Cole (Eds.), Handbook of the arts in qualitative research: Perspectives, methodologies, examples, and issues (pp. 71–83). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452226545.n3

Finney, C. (2014). Black faces, white spaces: Reimagining the relationship of African Americans to the great outdoors. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. https://doi.org/10.5149/northcarolina/9781469614489.001.0001

Gray, T. (2016). The “F” word: Feminism in outdoor education. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 19(2), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03400992

Gray, T., Allen-Craig, S., & Carpenter, C. (2017). Selective hearing: The unrecognised contribution of women to the outdoor profession. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 20(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03401000

Gray, T., & Mitten, D. (2018a). Nourishing terrains: Women’s contributions to outdoor learning environments. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning environments (pp. 3–18). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_1

Gray, T., & Mitten, D. (Eds.). (2018b). The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning. London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2019.1682018

Gray, T., Mitten, D., Loeffler, T. A., Allen-Craig, S., & Carpenter, C. (2017). Defining moments: An examination of the gender divide in women’s contribution to outdoor education. Research in Outdoor Education, 15, 47–71. https://doi.org/10.1353/roe.2017.0003

Hardacre, S. L., & Subašić, E. (2018). Whose issue is it anyway? The effects of leader gender and equality message framing on men’s and women’s mobilization toward workplace gender equality. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02497

Heilman, M. E., Wallen, A. S., Fuchs, D., & Tamkins, M. M. (2004). Penalties for success: Reaction to women who succeed at male gender-typed tasks. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(3), 416–427. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.3.416

Henderson, K. A. (1994). Broadening an understanding of women, gender, and leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 26(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1994.11969940

Hoffert, S. (2015). Buying in to sell out? Supporting women’s authentic forms of involvement and leadership in outdoor programs and adventure. The Vermont Connection, 29, 29–38.

Holoien, D. S. (2013). Do differences make a difference? The effects of diversity on learning, intergroup outcomes, and civic engagement. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University.

Hornibrook, T., Brinkert, E., Parry, D., Seimens, R., Mitten, D., & Priest, S. (1997). The benefits and motivations of all-women outdoor programs. Journal of Experiential Education, 20(3), 152–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382599702000307

Humbert, A. L., Kelan, E., & van den Brink, M. (2018). The perils of gender beliefs for men leaders as change agents for gender equality. European Management Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12325

Langlois, K. (2017). Hostile environment. Outside. Retrieved from https://www.outsideonline.com/2277166/hostile-environment

lisahunter. (2017). If you see what I mean? Visual narratives – Stories told through, with, and by visual images. In R. Dwyer, I. Davis, & e. emerald (Eds.), Narrative research in practice: Stories from the field (pp. 89–116). Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1579-3_5

lisahunter, & emerald, e. (2016). Sensory narratives: Capturing embodiment in narratives of movement, sport, leisure, and health. Sport, Education, and Society, 21(1), 28–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2015.1065244

Loeffler, T. A. (1995). Factors that influence women’s career development in outdoor leadership (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Loeffler, T. A. (1997). Assisting women in developing a sense of competency in outdoor programs. Journal of Experiential Education, 20(3), 119–123. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382599702000302

Lugg, A. (2018). Becoming relational in outdoor education: Not just women’s work. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning environments (pp. 319–333). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_20

Martin, S. V. (2013). The representation of women in adventure education literature (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from ProQuest database. (1551564)

Martin, S., Maney, S., & Mitten, D. (2018). Messages about women through representation in adventure education texts and journals. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning environments (pp. 293–306). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_18

McKenney, P. (2018). Adventures beyond cookies: A Girl Scout journey into crumbling the stereotype. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning environments (pp. 3–18). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_36

Mitten, D. (1985). A philosophical basis for a women’s outdoor adventure program. Journal of Experiential Education, 8(2) 20–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382598500800205

Mitten, D. (1992). Empowering girls and women in the outdoors. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, 63(2), 56–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.1992.10604117

Mitten, D., Gray, T., Allen-Craig, S., Loeffler, T. A., & Carpenter, C. (2018). The invisibility cloak: Women’s contributions to outdoor and environmental education. Journal of Environmental Education, 49(4), 318–327. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2017.1366890

Mitten, D., & Woodruff, S. (2010). Women’s adventure history and education programming in the United States favor friluftsliv. Paper prepared for the Henrik Ibsen: The Birth of “Friluftsliv”—A 150 Year International Dialogue Conference Jubilee Celebration, Levanger, Norway. Retrieved from http://norwegianjournaloffriluftsliv.com/doc/212010.pdf

Nielsen, M. W., Bloch, C. W., & Schiebinger, L. (2018). Making gender diversity work for scientific discovery and innovation. Nature Human Behaviour, 2, 726–734. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0433-1

Noon, M. (2018). Pointless diversity training: Unconscious bias, new racism, and agency. Work, Employment, and Society, 32(1), 198–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017017719841

Oakley, J., Potter, S., & Socha, T. (2018). Mirrored tensions: A mother–daughter introspection on gendered experiences in outdoor recreation. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning (pp. 375–390). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_24

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2014). Women, government, and policy making in OECD countries: Fostering diversity for inclusive growth. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264210745-en

Phoenix, C. (2011). Seeing the world of physical culture: The potential of visual methods for qualitative research in sport and exercise. In C. Phoenix & B. Smith (Eds.), The world of culture in sport and exercise: Visual methods for qualitative research (pp. 1–16). Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/19398441.2010.488017

Phoenix, C., & Smith, B. (Eds.). (2011). The world of physical culture in sport and exercise: Visual methods for qualitative research. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

Powell, K. (2018). She persisted: Six women talk to Nature about navigating gender bias in academia. Nature, 561(7723), 421–423.

Rogers, E. B., & Rose, J. (2019). A critical exploration of women’s gendered experiences in outdoor leadership. Journal of Experiential Education, 42(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825918820710

Stangl, J. M., & Kane, M. J. (1991). Structural variables that offer explanatory power for the underrepresentation of women coaches since Title IX: The case of homologous reproduction. Sociology of Sport Journal, 8(1), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.8.1.47

Subašić, E., Hardacre, S., Elton, B., Branscombe, N. R., Ryan, M. K., & Reynolds, K. J. (2018). We for she: Mobilising men and women for collective action towards gender equality. Group Process & Intergroup Relations, 21(5), 707–724. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430218763272

Takano, T. (2018). Seeking a way beyond gender: A case from a personal story. In T. Gray & D. Mitten (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of women and outdoor learning environments (pp. 851–862). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_58

Wall, K. (2018). Autoethnography, feminisms, and the outdoor industry: A theoretical approach to practice (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Wall_Katie_2018_Dissertation.pdf

Wang, C. C., Morrel-Samuels, S., Hutchison, P. M., Bell, L., & Pestronk, R. M. (2004). Flint photovoice: Community building among youths, adults, and policymakers. American Journal of Public Health, 94(6), 911–913. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.94.6.911

Warren, K. (1996). Women’s outdoor adventures: Myth and reality. In K. Warren (Ed.), Women’s voices in experiential education (pp. 10–17). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382598500800203

Warren, K., Mitten, D., D’Amore, C., & Lotz, E. (2019). The gendered hidden curriculum of adventure education. Journal of Experiential Education, 42(2), 140–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825918813398

Warren, K., Roberts, N. S., Breunig, M., & Alvarez, M. A. G. (2014). Social justice in outdoor experiential education: A state of knowledge review. Journal of Experiential Education, 37(1), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825913518898

Williamson, S., & Foley, M. (2018). Unconscious bias training: The ‘silver bullet’ for gender equity? Australian Journal of Public Administration, 77(3), 355–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12313

Wright, M., & Gray, T. (2013). The hidden turmoil: Females achieving longevity in the outdoor learning profession. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 16(2), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03400942

Downloads

Published

2019-12-30

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2020)

Section

Special Issue: Examination of Girls/Women in Rec

License

Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)

Journal Publishing Copyright Agreement for Authors

PLEASE REVIEW OUR POLICIES AND THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT, AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BY CHECKING THE ‘AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE’ CHECKBOX BELOW.

I understand that by submitting an article to Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, I am granting the copyright to the article submitted for consideration for publication in Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership to the Copyright Owner. If after consideration of the Editor of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, the article is not accepted for publication, all copyright covered under this agreement will be automatically returned to the Author(s).

THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT

Assignment of Copyright

I hereby assign to the Copyright Owner the copyright in the manuscript I am submitting in this online procedure and any tables, illustrations or other material submitted for publication as part of the manuscript in all forms and media (whether now known or later developed), throughout the world, in all languages, for the full term of copyright, effective when the article is accepted for publication.

Reversion of Rights

Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later be rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in “Articles in Press” form, in which case all rights will revert to the Author.

Retention of Rights for Scholarly Purposes

I understand that I retain or am hereby granted the Retained Rights. The Retained Rights include the right to use the Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and the Published Journal Article for Personal Use and Internal Institutional Use.

All journal material is under a 12 month embargo. Authors who would like to have their articles available as open access should contact Sagamore-Venture for further information.

In the case of the Accepted Manuscript and the Published Journal Article, the Retained Rights exclude Commercial Use, other than use by the author in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works or to extend the Article to book length form or re-use by the author of portions or excerpts in other works.

Published Journal Article: the author may share a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI.

Author Representations

  • The Article I have submitted to the journal for review is original, has been written by the stated author(s) and has not been published elsewhere.
  • The Article was not submitted for review to another journal while under review by this journal and will not be submitted to any other journal.
  • The Article contains no libelous or other unlawful statements and does not contain any materials that violate any personal or proprietary rights of any other person or entity.
  • I have obtained written permission from copyright owners for any excerpts from copyrighted works that are included and have credited the sources in the Article.
  • If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, I have informed the co-author(s) of the terms of this Journal Publishing Agreement and that I am signing on their behalf as their agent, and I am authorized to do so.