Speakers
Description
Gender inequalities in the outdoor field are still prevalent. The unrecognized contributions of women, practitioners, and professionals impact their self-confidence, self-esteem, sense of belonging, motivation, and, ultimately, their longevity in the field. Expedition groups are privileged contexts to observe how the emergence and functioning of gender inequalities in the outdoor field operate. This research aims to better understand the processes underlying social recognition in an educational expedition group, with particular attention to gender. An ethnographic case study involving participant observation during a four-week canoeing expedition was conducted with a group of students (n = 24 ; 17 men and seven women ) engaged in an outdoor adventure leadership undergraduate program at a university in Quebec (Canada). A Bourdieusian sociological conceptual framework was used to examine participants’ practices that could influence the social recognition of expedition group members. Our results showed that gender and social class influenced the strategies used by participants, or against them by other group members, to maintain or improve their status within the group. Data analysis allowed us to highlight how specific social positioning strategies created and perpetuated social inequalities based on gender and social class. It influenced relationships, social interactions, learning opportunities, and the ability to signal competence. Practical recommendations have been proposed to foster a more inclusive group dynamic, restore equity and increase participants' well-being and learning. Ultimately, this research’s results and practical recommendations could help diminish social inequalities in many other class and sex-mixed sports/outdoor groups.
