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Inspiration

Is it sexist to have a women-only walking group?

29/9/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
Yesterday a man on Twitter disagreed with one of my blog posts. Called '25 walks women should put on their bucket list', the post was a round up of a survey I did with Glamoraks members about which walks they'd like to do. Plus tips on how to make them happen.

The gentleman felt that they should be walks for people - rather than women - to put on their bucket list. He felt he had done several of the walks and he couldn't understand why women had been singled out. He felt if walks had been selected for people based on the colour of their skin, there would be outrage, so surely walks being selected based on their gender should be viewed just as poorly. 

I did point out that it was aimed at the readers of a women's walking group, hence the female bias in the blog post. And nowhere did I say that men couldn't do the walks.  To which, he said:  'In the age of equality, why single out women?'

And that is an interesting question. You could argue that sadly, there still isn't equality. But leaving that aside, is it sexist to have a women-only walking group? If there was a male only walking group, would women get upset? 

I suppose the answer to that would be based on why the group was male-only or what the reasons were for that decision.

So I want to outline why Glamoraks is a women-only walking group:

Safety
I want the Glamoraks group to be a place where women can meet like-minded women to go walking with. I want them to feel comfortable saying to a complete stranger on the internet, 'Let's meet at this walking trail'. Sure there is a chance that a woman can be a complete psycho, but largely, women will feel more comfortable meeting an unknown woman for the first time in a remote place than they would a man.

Rightly or wrongly, women are warned repeatedly to take care of themselves. Just this week, the York police issued a statement urging women not to walk alone at night following three sexual assaults in as many days. They later went on to adjust their statement, saying that 'everyone should take care walking alone at night'. But women are taught from a young age to be careful and not put themselves in potentially dangerous situations - like meeting a strange man in a quiet bit of woodland on their own.  Hence the need for a women-only website so that they can share where they'll be walking without worry. 

Walking styles
This is a generalisation - so apologies - but feedback I've had from some women as to why they don't enjoy mixed sex walking groups is because many of the walks are led by men who tend to turn it into a competition to see who can get there first or navigate best. It all becomes a bit of a route march. And if you are a woman who enjoys that, go for it. But many women prefer to go walking for the relaxation it brings, rather than to prove a point about who can get there first. 

Confidence and guilt
The reason I set up Glamoraks was because I can see how many women spend their 30s, 40s and 50s juggling the demands of kids, careers and ageing parents. I'm not saying men don't have these demands, but women seem to feel more guilty about taking time off for themselves. They spend much of their life enabling other people to do things, while putting themselves last. This has a knock on effect on their confidence. They don't feel as fit, brave or adventurous as they used to be. Sometimes they don't feel it's right for them to leave the family for a week so that they can take on a long distance walk. The group was set up to inspire them to regain their confidence, to set aside their guilt and to rediscover that person they used to be. I'm not saying that men don't need to do that, but I think this is typically more of a feminine issue.

Peeing, periods and personal stuff
There are things that women have to deal with that men just don't. Like periods and how to manage those on a big walk. Or the need to squat behind a tree to pee. Or which bras are most comfortable and supportive when walking. Or how walking might help with the menopause. Even just which kit is lighter or designed with women in mind. Men are most welcome to join in these discussions, but I imagine, most wouldn't want to. I think it's ok for women to have a safe space to discuss any of these topics without feeling as though it's awkward. What's more, the conversations women have with each other while walking are different, more honest and more personal when there are only women around. And I think it's ok to create that female-only environment so that those conversations can happen.

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I walk with my husband and many Glamoraks walk with their husbands, partners, fathers, brothers and friends. And I have done group walks with men and women, including climbing Kilimanjaro where there wasn't too much left to the imagination or privacy.  It is a wonderful - and completely different - experience to walking with just women. Glamoraks is not trying to eliminate men from the walking agenda or be sexist. It is simply trying to create a female-focused group to address all of the areas listed above.

To the man on Twitter, sorry if I couldn't respond adequately to your questions but it took more than 140 characters.

I welcome any thoughts on this issue. And if you are a woman and would like to find other like-minded walkers, join the Glamoraks community here.
1 Comment
Richard
9/10/2017 08:15:56 pm

Hello. Firstly thank you for writing an article on this. Secondly, apologies on the length of time to respond, I have been away.
I also agree that you cannot possibly say what you mean in 140 characters and include myself in that fact.......

I want to be clear from the offset that I have no issue, argument or conspiracy towards Women only groups of any description. My Mum belongs to several and has a great time. Walking is good for the mind, body and soul of any individual and the longer the trip (to connect with nature) the better. I have the AT on my own bucket list!!
My issue is simply with the title of the original article,
'25 walks women should put on their bucket list',

I understand that your group is aimed at Women and I respect that, but I think the title to go out on social media should be
'25 walks everyone should put on their bucket list'. I and others would look at this and very quickly realise that this particular site is aimed at Women. Not a problem for most people with at least 3 brain cells but you could have planted a seed. I and others potentially would start researching this with a group that suits the needs. That is the only reason I responded to your tweet.
There were parts of this particular blog that were true and made me laugh. I have been on one or two walks where the blokes all want to get to the top first. I let them crack on and had a much better time chatting to people who also made it to the top 20 mins later not as an out of breath bag of sweat!
I also respect the 'need to pee' issue. About a year ago I was going across Crib Goch and met a lady who was struggling so I offered help which she accepted. One of the first things she asked was "How close is the café, as I'm busting for a wee"? At that point we were about 50m from the pinnacles so a fair distance to go. It took me ages to convince her I wasn't going to look and hid behind a massive rock, and also, nobody else could see her 'perched' at over 2500ft!! (she told me she felt liberated after! whatever that means, I didn't enquire further)
Some of the issues you raised are spot on, 'Confidence & Guilt' was particularly interesting to me.


I want to sign off wishing you and your group all the best for the future. Walking is the best way to explore the world.......

Rich














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