Re-imagining Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts: An Analysis of the Impact of Gender and Race on Outdoor Recreation Preferences

Abstract

The Back to Nature Movement inspired middle class Americans from all backgrounds to escape the diseases and pollution that plagued U.S cities in favor of the “great outdoors.” The construction of these spaces as white has often erased the experiences of minorities as they navigated outdoor recreation landscapes. In order to challenge these constructions this thesis seeks to understand how university of students across different backgrounds navigate outdoor recreation. Using historical and sociological methods, I surveyed 459 university students from May-September to assess their outdoor recreation preferences. The first section provides an historical overview of African American outdoor leisure to lay the foundation of minority outdoor leisure preferences. The following sections explore outdoor recreation preferences across gender, and race/ethnicity, displaying how millennials from all backgrounds seek to engage with the environment. The results found that there were minimal differences in outdoor recreation preferences across race and gender, challenging dominant discourses around gender, race and outdoor recreation.