More broadly, my research disappointingly concludes that over 100 years on, women explorers and scientific fieldworkers are still represented as unusual or out of place in the wild.
These media narratives are dangerous as they feed into social attitudes that put women at risk and cause them to change their behavior outdoors by avoiding isolated places, especially beyond daylight hours, for example.
Studies show that women (and Black and Hispanic) hikers in the US are more afraid of being attacked by men than by bears or other wild animals. Women’s outdoor groups, and campaigners such as Woman with Altitude and the Tough Girl podcast are working hard to counter this narrative, encouraging women to enjoy the beauties and discoveries still to be made in the world’s most rugged and remote places.
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