Bringing Outdoor Education Into the Physical Education Agenda: Gender Identities and Social Change

This paper is concerned with ethnographic research from a feminist perspective, focusing upon outdoor and adventurous education. In this paper participants' views and perspectives are located within the wider social, material, and economic context. Evidence suggests that stereotypical assumptions about masculinity and femininity are challenged and gender relations altered through adventurous activities. Not only is it important to recognize the structural inequalities of patriarchy, but it is important to examine situations that could provide opportunities for a shift in gender power relations. Although outdoor education in research in mainstream physical education and feminist research is generally nonexistent, reflexive, sensitive research from feminist perspectives can further develop the understanding of contexts and processes that may promote social change.