Ditto.
On the iissue being discussed:-
Our traditionally male dominated society has always benefitted from women being a '
wee bit scared' of 'd
oing their own thing' and getting of line. Some of us revel in being a bit bolshy
.
I met a group (5/6) middle aged women daywalking on a popular Agus munro. They were flabbergasted and in admiration that as a single female I would go out wild camping. Lots of comment along the line of - "wasn't I
scared of something bad happening" etc. etc. - society had them well brain washed.
Mmn, and possibly benefitted from making us feel its always our first duty to stay home to care for the bairns, the elders, the hearth, the 'stead, and to keep the bed warm ... ?
It's hardly 'bolshy' of us to want to go and have the same fun outdoors, that the chaps have been enjoying for eaons; either solo or in company.
Anyway i'm sure that nowadays all right- thinking men (especially those on here) are fully behind our rights to have the equal time, and resources, and freedom so to do
Fear is a long-standing historical method of control ; and it doesn't have to be explicitly stated ; just implied.
I do wonder if all the murderyness and violence, that some people 'entertain' themselves with ; or endlessly view on the news doesn't somehow seep into the pschye too ... ?
'Bad stuff' happening to people at the hands of strangers gets into the news , because it's still really so rare , especially out in the wilds.
Running joke on the trail show is asking people if they carry a gun
I've got lots of mates who do krav, systema etc personally I've not been in a fight since middle school. Must be doing something right.
The visibility of lots of solo female hikers will hopefully change perceptions, I see more middle aged women walking round here than any other group, usually in large groups, but sometimes solo.
Yeah well 'Do you have a gun?', is really just a notch up from 'do you have self defence training?'
Again it's feeding into that idea that this is a risky thing we're doing, we need to have all this extra preparedness, and that if you don't you're a fool ...
Well I call bollix on such scaremongering, it's just more over-sensationalising.
People love a bit of drama ... Fair enough, but really you are far more at risk statistically, sat at home on your sofa...
You're probably not going around picking fights
@Enzo, but going out hillwalking instead, that's what you're doing right
Visibility of solo women (rather than them hiding) is definitely what it's going to take to 'normalise' things.
I met a young, perfectly capable, woman cyclist , when I was taking my bike on tour, to to Mull last October ..
She was in a bit of a flap, cos she'd missed an earlier ferry, to meet a friend, with whom she was going cycle touring.
When she discovered that I was doing a trip by myself, she actually said " Oh i never thought of being able to go by myself"
Sure there are plenty of guys who'd rather not go by themselves ; for any number of reasons ; but very few who might not consider it a possibility...
Mainly because its always been part of 'guy' culture ; and we wimmin* still have quite a lot of catching up to do...
Having said that, there were a lot more visible solo women in the Pyrenees this year - still far fewer than the guys - but definitely out there doing it ...
I avoid bothies as there seem to be groups of (mostly) men with cans and gear strewn everywhere in the ones I've come across...which I find annoying as they take over a dwelling thats for everyone's use, I guess its first come first served.
Not had any major issues with soloing, a few creepy types, poachers, gamekeepers, concerned ramblers...
Appearing slightly crazy helps...
Appearing
slightly crazy ...? Never thought of that one Taz - 'Daft as a brush' - generally works for me
And
men ? Behaving in a slightly over-entitled fashion? Whatever next?
*even if that means we occasionally feel the need to come on places like this to 'whiffle' on, and annoy the establishment with our tiresome, and irrelevant, lady views, and opinions..