Gender differential

[DougPaul]

As far as women and solo hiking goes, I like to remind women who are nervous about this that they are statistically more likely to be harmed by a man they know well, than by a stranger. Domestic violence is a leading cause of injury and death to women in some age groups. So yes, there are risks to hiking alone, but the chance of being attacked by someone you don't know is on the low end of the scale. Statistically you are safer alone in the woods than at home with your husband.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/ipvfacts.htm.

That is not a valid conclusion based upon the quoted statistics.

The quoted statistics are for "intimate partner violence" and are heavily weighted by the home and urban environments. The statistics for other (known or unknown) human caused injury could be, and likely are different while hiking.

Doug

 

[dvbl]

As far as women and solo hiking goes, I like to remind women who are nervous about this that they are statistically more likely to be harmed by a man they know well, than by a stranger. Domestic violence is a leading cause of injury and death to women in some age groups. So yes, there are risks to hiking alone, but the chance of being attacked by someone you don't know is on the low end of the scale. Statistically you are safer alone in the woods than at home with your husband.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/ipvfacts.htm

Sorry to all the guys out there who do not beat their wives, I know you are the majority. Be a chum and don't let it go if you know someone who does.

Ah, it looks like DougPaul beat me to this one. Julianne, one should be very careful about taking the data and conclusions from a controlled study and then applying them to totally unrelated circumstances, such as hiking in the woods. The validity of the study itself is open for debate, but extrapolating it to "women alone in the woods" has no validity. There's a good book, I think it's called "200% of Nothing". It shows how companies and politicians lie and mislead with statistics. A simple example...war-torn country, families torn apart, lots of sadness and misery. A newspaper headline says 75% of the refugees fleeing that country are women and children. Ok, that piece of data is supposed to shock you...until you do the simple math. Suppose the average family is a husband, wife, and two kids...75% of that family are "women and children." Headline could've said, with equal accuracy, that 75% of the refugees were men and children, but that wouldn't sell as many papers. Bottom line, statistics can say almost anything you want them to say. Oldest trick in the book.

 

[alpinista]

I voted for the obvious _ or for what I hope is obvious: I'm a woman. (Some folks think because my trailname, Alpinista, ends in an "a" that it would naturally be a female-oriented name. But, in fact, in Italian, it's the word _ regardless of gender _ for mountain climber.)

I don't care if my hiking partners are male or female, as long as they're fun to be around!

 

[jade]

i wish dvbl had a pm/email address....there have been several times when i have hoped to have a private discussion....i see merit in both julianne's and dvbl's posts...

it appears that this thread is moving away from the initial question/intent....that being said, i think there are some interesting points....

like alpinista, i enjoy hiking with good fun people regardless of their gender....i feel no more/less safe with either gender....

i shall keep some of my opinions to myself in reference to a couple of posts here concerning women.....so i must sign off now to avoid a long boring lecture....

...jade

 

[Roxi]

i wish dvbl had a pm/email address....there have been several times when i have hoped to have a private discussion....i see merit in both julianne's and dvbl's posts...

it appears that this thread is moving away from the initial question/intent....that being said, i think there are some interesting points....

like alpinista, i enjoy hiking with good fun people regardless of their gender....i feel no more/less safe with either gender....

i shall keep some of my opinions to myself in reference to a couple of posts here concerning women.....so i must sign off now to avoid a long boring lecture....

...jade

I suspect, Jade, that there are several of us thinking along the same lines...

 

[sleeping bear]

(Some folks think because my trailname, Alpinista, ends in an "a" that it would naturally be a female-oriented name. But, in fact, in Italian, it's the word _ regardless of gender _ for mountain climber.)
QUOTE]


I am embarassed to admit that I thought your name was "alpinista", along the same lines as "fashinista". Is "fashinista" Itialian?

I too enjoy hiking with anyone that is fun to hike with, male or female. Although, the all women trip up Madison and Adams a few months ago probably topped out in the "fun conversation" factor. I think that's MEB and Little Sister for you though, they're hillarious.

I thought this thread was created to see the demograhpics of the site, and while that may not be where it has gone, one can still see a sampling for the makeup. I would have thought there were way more women posting on here. Guess I was wrong. Or, in keeping with the whole "security" issue, they have decided not to answer the poll. Interesting.

 

[alpinista]

I am embarassed to admit that I thought your name was "alpinista", along the same lines as "fashinista". Is "fashinista" Italian?

Oh, well I'd like to consider myself quite the fashionista in the polypro department!

 

[Chip]

Oh, well I'd like to consider myself quite the fashionista in the polypro department!

That's funny, I don't speak any Italian. I thought it was like Alpine/Sandinista = Alpine Freedom Fighter or Alpine Guerrilla Rebel. The Italian translation is much more pleasant.

That is not a valid conclusion based upon the quoted statistics.

The quoted statistics are for "intimate partner violence" and are heavily weighted by the home and urban environments. The statistics for other (known or unknown) human caused injury could be, and likely are different while hiking.

Doug

Guys, I'm pretty sure julianne wasn't submitting this for her Doctoral Dissertation, just trying to make the same point that many of us have: You're safer in the woods than at home or on the road. It's responses like that that come across as pointlessly argumentative, take much of the joy out of participating in this site and prompted me to create my disclaimer.

 

[Roxi]

Guys, I'm pretty sure julianne wasn't submitting this for her Doctoral Dissertation, just trying to make the same point that many of us have: You're safer in the woods than at home or on the road. It's responses like that that come across as pointlessly argumentative, take much of the joy out of participating in this site and prompted me to create my disclaimer.

Well said, Chip!

 

[julianne]

Thanks folks. You're right, I am not a statistician and I had no intention of picking a fight. However, I think the CDC is a pretty trustworthy source and that those statistics speak for themselves. I just hate to hear women say "oh, i couldn't go hiking because I couldn't find anyone to go with me, and I'm afraid of crazy dudes with commando knives coming after me." Be afraid of hypothermia or breaking an ankle while you're alone, but don't be afraid of other people.

I used to be very afraid of flying in airplanes because it seemed like you heard about them crashing all the time. Then someone pointed out that they only put things in the newspaper that are newsworthy...i.e. unusual, therefore it must be very unusual for a plane to crash - and it is when you think about all the millions of air-miles logged every day. Same thing with women getting attacked in the outdoors - the stories stay with us because they are horrifying - and we hear about them because they are unusual.

 

[timmus]

I just hate to hear women say "oh, i couldn't go hiking because I couldn't find anyone to go with me, and I'm afraid of crazy dudes with commando knives coming after me." Be afraid of hypothermia or breaking an ankle while you're alone, but don't be afraid of other people.

I TOTALLY agree with you. Most of my female friends and family members are freaking out about me hiking solo. It is a very sensitive issue, because, sadly, a lot of women still think that ''men are dangerous'', thanks to the radical fanatic feminism of the 70's.

Now, I don't want to start a debate about feminism, but I do think it's a very important issue for women in the hiking world. Myself, signed in on boards with the idea of asking, one day, this question: Do you think it is dangerous for a woman to hike/backpack alone? I understood very fast that there is no unique answer for such question. Only ourselves knows the answer, by going out there and try to find out if something might hurt ourselves. And that goes for men too.

I've been hiking solo for more than a year now, I did many Adirondack 46r like Allen, Haystack and Sawteeth alone, and frankly, EVERYONE I met on the trails were friendly and kind. I might get unlucky one day, but that can happen anywhere (and if I can choose, I prefer ending my life in the woods than in a dark alley, downtown Montreal.

 

[Roxi]

It is a very sensitive issue, because, sadly, a lot of women still think that ''men are dangerous'', thanks to the radical fanatic feminism of the 70's.

Really? I thought it was because statistically women are more likely to be physically assaulted, raped, hurt, victimized, killed, discriminated against, etc. by men, especially men they know and may have trusted.

Please don't take my comment wrong. I agree with both you and Julianne that women should not be afraid to go hiking by themselves. I have enjoyed every hike I've ever done by myself and would never give up solo hiking because of fear of what could happen.

My point is that the pendulum seems to swing from one extreme to another, and I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. There are real dangers for women (please don't dismiss them), more so than for men, but that's true no matter where a woman is. All you have to do is look at crime statistics in almost any community to see that. The solution isn't to change where women go, or to make them travel in groups, but as Metsky has often said, and it applies to both genders: use common sense, and be aware of your surroundings. Happy trails!

 

[MadRiver]

I hike equally with both men and women and haven’t noticed any huge difference between the two in ability or any other hiking indicator. The only difference I see is that they are a little more considerate and will pee farther off the trail than their male counterparts.

 

[dvbl]

i wish dvbl had a pm/email address....there have been several times when i have hoped to have a private discussion....i see merit in both julianne's and dvbl's posts...

it appears that this thread is moving away from the initial question/intent....that being said, i think there are some interesting points....

like alpinista, i enjoy hiking with good fun people regardless of their gender....i feel no more/less safe with either gender....

i shall keep some of my opinions to myself in reference to a couple of posts here concerning women.....so i must sign off now to avoid a long boring lecture....

...jade

I'm flattered, but I'm not interested in a private discussion. If my post and your reply is on-topic, then discuss it openly here. If my post is off-topic, then I apologize to the whole gang and I'll try to stay on-topic in the future.

 

[jade]

dvbl.....
no need to be flattered...rest assured folks will choose not to respond to your posts at times because they want to take the discussion further in a private manner.....you're only getting half the picture...i won't hold that against you...in this particular case, i wanted to commend you for your comments and ask a few questions.....

radical feminists unite!!!! feminists, both men and women, want equality, plain and simple....like any supressed/oppressed group, a united front must make waves....change is good....but i digress...

if all the folks who intend to hike on our next hike show up, i think it will consist equally of men and women.....yahooey!!

...jade

 

[dvbl]

Guys, I'm pretty sure julianne wasn't submitting this for her Doctoral Dissertation, just trying to make the same point that many of us have: You're safer in the woods than at home or on the road. It's responses like that that come across as pointlessly argumentative, take much of the joy out of participating in this site and prompted me to create my disclaimer.

1-- If you're gonna use a CDC study as "evidence", you need to be able to back it up when "pointlessly argumentative" people such as me challenge you on the study and your use of it. 2-- I disagree with your claim that "...you're safer in the woods than at home..." Spend exactly the same amount of time in the woods as you do at home and we'll see how much safer you are.

OK, back on-topic: I'm a man; my wife is a woman; she often hikes with me; I carry ALL the gear (hers and mine); and she is much safer at home with me than in the woods.

 

[iceNsnow]

I think the real question is....

Are you happier at home or in the woods?

I have recently been accused of being a male, so I will clear it up here - I am a woman.

I chose iceNsnow as a screen name because I like to like to go niceNfast .

Inge (pronounced ing-ga) is not a common female name??!

 

[the starchild]

i voted gender doesn't matter because i am not comfortable with everyone on the web knowing i am male, especially if hiking solo.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

i voted gender doesn't matter because i am not comfortable with everyone on the web knowing i am male, especially if hiking solo.

Righty-O!!! With some of the women on this board, you can't be too careful!!!!

 

[giggy]

I feel I need to clear something up - I am a women and my wife is man and it carries all the gear. Dr WU might have performed experimental surgery on me.

I might just be the founder of the ultra secret society called the malinists otherwise know as the tecumseh mountaineering academy. you can find more information on that here:




chill will - I still owe you a beer.