Summer Camp: In Search of Gender Equality
Over the years, I have been asked repeatedly, “Why do you work at a girl’s camp?” I understand the question. My areas of professional expertise are not those typically associated with an all-female work environment. In the eyes of some, it may make more sense for me to work with boys where things like adventures in the outdoors, getting dirty, and taking risks are more commonly associated. While on some level this may be true, I also think it is nonsense. The whole answer as to why I focus my work with youth on girls is somewhat complicated. However, the core of it can be summed up quite simply in a single word: Equality.
The idea or notion of gender equality can be a tricky one. If you were to ask the average guy on the street if he self-identified as a ‘feminist’, I would wager that he would reply in the negative. This may be because the term has somehow been associated with extremism or radicalism in our collective social consciousness. Does feminist ideology exist in the form of extremist activism? Of course it does. I would argue, however, that all one need believe in order to be considered a feminist, is that men and women should be treated equally. That’s it. Equal rights. Equal pay. Equal opportunity. Sadly, these ideas still fall in the category of goals rather than reality. According to a 2013 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women still make only 79% of what men are paid. So to anyone who would say they believe those things should be true, I would say, congratulations, you’re a feminist.
Where the goal of gender equality has a tendency to go awry is that it is often confused with equivalency. While men and women are equal, we are by no means equivalent. Men and women have different natural tendencies, different ways of relating to one another, different ways of understanding themselves, different strengths and weaknesses. So while gender equality is what we are after, that is not to say that men and women are the same. Nor, of course, should young men and women be treated as such.
I would encourage you to walk through the magazine aisle of your local grocery store and ask the question, what are young men and women intended to interpret from a glance at the covers? Some exceptions notwithstanding, by and large it is that men are supposed to have a fancy car, be extraordinarily macho, and fabulously wealthy. Women, it would seem, are intended to take a lesson in fashion, interior home design, cooking, and an unattainable body type. While awareness of this challenge is nothing new, it is nevertheless a poignant reminder that young people are, from a very young age, shown what they should become through mediums largely outside our control.
At this point, you may be asking, “How does this have anything to do with adventure programming at a summer camp?” Well, here goes. The outdoor industry has, since its inception, been rather homogenous. An overwhelming majority of its recreational participants and its industry professionals are men. Part of my motivation for working with young women is with the hope of changing the dynamic within the very industry in which they are participating. Personally, I would like very much to see more women out climbing, paddling, biking, and working as guides and instructors. Because of the fact that women bring different talents and ideas to the table, the experience of co-recreating in the outdoors with a broader audience becomes inherently more enriching for us all. Additionally, I reject the idea that boys should go play outside to win glorious triumphs while girls should stay inside and play with dolls. This is an obvious oversimplification to be sure, but not a far cry from what the litany of magazine covers in our neighborhood grocery store might suggest. I believe that girls are entitled to choice and to be empowered in the same way as boys. They are entitled to learn the same lessons, to grow, to discover what they are capable of, and to take risks that yield the same impactful rewards as when boys have that opportunity.
I have seen our campers undergo a transformation in the way they request or respond to an offer of assistance from a staff member. Initially, while loading a canoe onto a trailer for a river trip, a camper might say in a moment of frustration, “I can’t do this, can you help me?” The look on their face when I might reply, “You don’t need my help, you can figure it out,” closely resembles that of dismay and perhaps betrayal. As an adult male, surely it is my job to lift heavy things, they might think. And over the course of a summer, or perhaps two, I have seen those very same campers realize that they are in fact capable. They no longer ask for my assistance, but also actively reject my help when I do attempt to offer it, stating, “No, let me do it!” While seemingly small in the moment, it is those paradigm shifts in young people’s perspective that I believe is what empowers them to gain independence, achieve in the face of adversity, and ultimately live a less fearful and marginalized life.
Girls have a right to grow up thinking that they are not a magazine cover and that they don’t have to care what Martha Stewart has to say about this year’s perfect Thanksgiving table setting, unless they want to. So to that end, I believe in summer camp because I believe that as a learning environment, it has the ability to allow for just those lessons to be learned. I do this job because I believe that summer camp may just be a secret weapon in fighting for gender equality in the years to come. I hope all you feminists, new or old, will join me in the fight.