Becoming an Outdoors Woman: Effect on Activities and Attitudes
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Date
1995Author
Lueck, Diane Humphrey
Publisher
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Women have typically been under-represented in the numbers of hunters and
anglers. A 1990 workshop called "Breaking Down the Barriers to Participation of
Women in Angling and Hunting" identified 21 reasons for their low participation in
these activities. Barriers related to lack of information led to the development of the
"Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" program--workshops teaching outdoor skills to adult
women. Since the first clinic in Wisconsin in 1991, thousands of women have been
reached across the United States and Canada. This research project surveyed the 800
participants from the first three years, investigating changes in level of outdoor
activities and changes in attitude toward those activities. A control group was also
surveyed for comparison of changes over the same period. Fifty-nine percent of the
participants sent surveys responded, and 53 percent of the control population
responded. Participants did show an increase in activities taught at the workshops,
and also showed less decrease than the control group. The participants' attitudes
toward hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities were also more positive
following the workshop than were attitudes of the control group over the past year.
There was no significant difference in equipment and clothing purchases between the
two groups. The positive implications of this study have been widely recognized,
resulting in national sponsorship and national implementation of the "Becoming an
Outdoors-Woman" program.