Adventure Tourism: The Battle of a Gendered Environment
Author: Anne Santiago
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Keywords: Gendered Environment, Gender Norms, Male Dominated
Have you acknowledged the masculine narratives that have traditionally been intertwined within the adventure landscape? This conference paper will critically scrutinise the notion of adventure tourism as a gendered environment, through examining three core elements: the stereotypical representation, the physical environment, and the body of adventure tourism. The phenomenon of adventure tourism as a gendered space has been prevalent over the past few years, with substantial academic research being done to highlight and create emphasis of the male dominated nature of the wilderness setting. Adventure tourism has historically been established as a male dominated arena and perceived as a threat to femininity (Doran, 2016; Little and Wilson, 2005).
Doran (2016) addresses the stereotypical imagery of adventure tourism, as a principal facilitator towards gendered adventure tourism. The media’s portrayal of adventure tourism is predominantly masculine, clearly indicating that men tend to be visualised as conquerors of the adventure setting. Adventure tourism is depicted with photographs of men participating in risky and challenging activities such as mountaineering, skiing, and snowboarding. The media hugely favoured the injuries of male snowboarders as it was a sign of strength, willpower, and dedication. On the other hand, magazines have completely ignored the participation of female snowboarders, as well as their injuries (Doran, 2016). Women are misrepresented and underrepresented in promotional media including films, magazines, and holiday brochures. Their roles typically reside in the category of family commitments, household duties, and other feminine activities. The visual imagery of women in adventure tourism is highly distorted, as they are seen as physically weak, emotional, and decorative figures. Whereas men are generally portrayed as the epitome of heroism and bravery (Kling et al., 2018; Little and Wilson, 2005).
The second theme explored within this study was the physical environment of adventure tourism. Adventure tourism is a concept that is primarily recognised as male territory, due to its intimidating and perilous ambience. The outdoor and wilderness landscape is often perceived as dangerous and unsafe for women, especially due to lack of companions. This is viewed as a major constraint for women, as lack of companions heightens women’s safety fears and anxieties. Women also face numerous implications such as unwanted male attention, abduction, violence, and sexual harassment within the adventure atmosphere. Thus, this produces reinforcement towards women’s personal sense of vulnerability, uncertainty, and their perception that adventure is male dominated and unwelcoming. Therefore, these feelings of inferiority and vulnerability from women lead to lesser participation in adventure activities and reduced enjoyment of their experiences (Doran, 2016).
The physical activity of adventure remains an issue for women’s participation, as both women and men are commonly situated within the gender stereotypes. Adventure tourism accounts for the reinforcement of stereotypical task delegation, for instance, men carrying heavy equipment. As a result, this may discourage women from fully experiencing adventure activities (Doran, 2016). Gender norms largely contribute towards the constraints of women’s recreation and outdoor travel experiences. The ideology of gender norms has formulated the traditional belief that women belong and must stay indoors, while men perform the role of adventurers within nature, in both indoor and outdoor settings (Kling et al., 2018).
Moreover, the ideal physical build of the body portrayed by adventurers was another element, towards the gendered environment of adventure tourism. Within the topic of fear of physical harm or social rejection and exclusion, women experience a sense of discrimination, as their physical abilities are highly questioned in adventure activities. Men are portrayed as the role models of adventurers, due to their muscular build and tough exterior. On the contrary, women are identified as vulnerable, passive, and supporting spectators of adventure tourism, rather than active participants. Due to this, women fail to perceive themselves as ideal adventurers, which then generates feelings of self-doubt and fears (Little and Wilson, 2005).
This conceptual paper seeks to extend our understanding of adventure tourism as a gendered environment, as there have been gaps within academic research surrounding this particular topic. Adventure tourism generates self-development, female empowerment, and a sense of accomplishment for women. However, women must navigate through these constraints by overcoming and defeating them. Although, it is clear that there are a substantial number of barriers that women must destroy.
References:
Doran, A. (2016) Empowerment and women in adventure tourism: A negotiated journey. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 20(1) 57-80. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/14775085.2016.1176594 [accessed 29 April 2021].
Kling, K. G., Margaryan, L., and Fuchs, M. (2018) (In) equality in the outdoors: gender perspective on recreation and tourism media in the Swedish mountains. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(2) 233-247. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1495698 [accessed 03 April 2021].
Little, D.E. and Wilson, E. (2005) Adventure and the gender gap: Acknowledging diversity of experience. Society and Leisure, 28(1) 185-208. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/07053436.2005.10707676 [accessed 15 April 2021].
Have you acknowledged the masculine narratives that have traditionally been intertwined within the adventure landscape? This conference paper will critically scrutinise the notion of adventure tourism as a gendered environment, through examining three core elements: the stereotypical representation, the physical environment, and the body of adventure tourism. The phenomenon of adventure tourism as a gendered space has been prevalent over the past few years, with substantial academic research being done to highlight and create emphasis of the male dominated nature of the wilderness setting. Adventure tourism has historically been established as a male dominated arena and perceived as a threat to femininity (Doran, 2016; Little and Wilson, 2005).
Doran (2016) addresses the stereotypical imagery of adventure tourism, as a principal facilitator towards gendered adventure tourism. The media’s portrayal of adventure tourism is predominantly masculine, clearly indicating that men tend to be visualised as conquerors of the adventure setting. Adventure tourism is depicted with photographs of men participating in risky and challenging activities such as mountaineering, skiing, and snowboarding. The media hugely favoured the injuries of male snowboarders as it was a sign of strength, willpower, and dedication. On the other hand, magazines have completely ignored the participation of female snowboarders, as well as their injuries (Doran, 2016). Women are misrepresented and underrepresented in promotional media including films, magazines, and holiday brochures. Their roles typically reside in the category of family commitments, household duties, and other feminine activities. The visual imagery of women in adventure tourism is highly distorted, as they are seen as physically weak, emotional, and decorative figures. Whereas men are generally portrayed as the epitome of heroism and bravery (Kling et al., 2018; Little and Wilson, 2005).
The second theme explored within this study was the physical environment of adventure tourism. Adventure tourism is a concept that is primarily recognised as male territory, due to its intimidating and perilous ambience. The outdoor and wilderness landscape is often perceived as dangerous and unsafe for women, especially due to lack of companions. This is viewed as a major constraint for women, as lack of companions heightens women’s safety fears and anxieties. Women also face numerous implications such as unwanted male attention, abduction, violence, and sexual harassment within the adventure atmosphere. Thus, this produces reinforcement towards women’s personal sense of vulnerability, uncertainty, and their perception that adventure is male dominated and unwelcoming. Therefore, these feelings of inferiority and vulnerability from women lead to lesser participation in adventure activities and reduced enjoyment of their experiences (Doran, 2016).
The physical activity of adventure remains an issue for women’s participation, as both women and men are commonly situated within the gender stereotypes. Adventure tourism accounts for the reinforcement of stereotypical task delegation, for instance, men carrying heavy equipment. As a result, this may discourage women from fully experiencing adventure activities (Doran, 2016). Gender norms largely contribute towards the constraints of women’s recreation and outdoor travel experiences. The ideology of gender norms has formulated the traditional belief that women belong and must stay indoors, while men perform the role of adventurers within nature, in both indoor and outdoor settings (Kling et al., 2018).
Moreover, the ideal physical build of the body portrayed by adventurers was another element, towards the gendered environment of adventure tourism. Within the topic of fear of physical harm or social rejection and exclusion, women experience a sense of discrimination, as their physical abilities are highly questioned in adventure activities. Men are portrayed as the role models of adventurers, due to their muscular build and tough exterior. On the contrary, women are identified as vulnerable, passive, and supporting spectators of adventure tourism, rather than active participants. Due to this, women fail to perceive themselves as ideal adventurers, which then generates feelings of self-doubt and fears (Little and Wilson, 2005).
This conceptual paper seeks to extend our understanding of adventure tourism as a gendered environment, as there have been gaps within academic research surrounding this particular topic. Adventure tourism generates self-development, female empowerment, and a sense of accomplishment for women. However, women must navigate through these constraints by overcoming and defeating them. Although, it is clear that there are a substantial number of barriers that women must destroy.
References:
Doran, A. (2016) Empowerment and women in adventure tourism: A negotiated journey. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 20(1) 57-80. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/14775085.2016.1176594 [accessed 29 April 2021].
Kling, K. G., Margaryan, L., and Fuchs, M. (2018) (In) equality in the outdoors: gender perspective on recreation and tourism media in the Swedish mountains. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(2) 233-247. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1495698 [accessed 03 April 2021].
Little, D.E. and Wilson, E. (2005) Adventure and the gender gap: Acknowledging diversity of experience. Society and Leisure, 28(1) 185-208. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/07053436.2005.10707676 [accessed 15 April 2021].