{"id":18743,"date":"2016-04-10T20:18:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-10T20:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/?p=18743"},"modified":"2016-04-10T20:18:44","modified_gmt":"2016-04-10T20:18:44","slug":"a-plea-to-the-outdoor-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/a-plea-to-the-outdoor-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"A Plea to the Outdoor Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up as an enthusiastic female kayaker and learning to paddle with family and friends of all genders and ages, I didn\u2019t really realise there was a gender inequality in the sport until I went to University. Despite a number of inspirational female paddlers having been through Leeds University, I still often found myself alone with the boys on the river and even earned myself the nickname \u201cToken Girl\u201d after a club trip to Scotland. However, as the years go on, everywhere I look there are more and more female kayakers. At an event which previously has been nicknamed \u201csausage fest\u201d, last year there were more women than ever and each time I get on the river I end up bumping in to more awesome and talented ladies. I also feel very lucky to have competed last year in the first Adidas Sickline World Championships where the women\u2019s places sold out and we had our own category!<\/p>\n

But now the time has come for me to start looking for a new drysuit. Amongst the confusion of zip styles, breathable materials and hydrophobic properties, there really is only one question on every discerning female kayaker\u2019s mind\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026do I want pink, purple or baby blue? It\u2019s a difficult decision and one that any woman buying outdoors kit has had to struggle over \u2013 not because we really care about whether petal pink or orchid purple will make our eyes pop more, but mainly because I am not really sure why I have to be distinguished as a woman just from the colour of my kit (plus I really, really detest the colour pink!)<\/p>\n

Why is it that outdoor retailers insist on making our kit in \u201cgirly\u201d colours?\u00a0 Are they worried that we\u2019ll be so busy charging lines and surfing waves that we might forget we are the proud bearers of ovaries? I\u2019ve heard the argument that it costs too much to manufacture in a range of colours but to me that just further proves my point: surely if you are buying material to be used for the men\u2019s kit then the cost effective choice is to simply use it for women\u2019s kit too? If so, why not offer the same colours to both men and women? I am pretty sure I know some guys who would look fabulous in pink, and I know plenty of women who covet the greens and oranges that are popping up in men\u2019s ranges across various outdoor clothing manufacturers.<\/p>\n

In the end, I settled for a men\u2019s drysuit from a company who does not make women\u2019s specific kit. It\u2019s a shame that my shiny new drysuit will not fit as well, but I can understand that for smaller companies the amount they would need to spend on research and development is not justified for such a small market\u2026<\/p>\n

But is the market really still that small?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Excited

Excited for some lady boating. Photo – Mark Mulrain<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I constantly hear the view that kayaking is a \u201cmale dominated sport\u201d and although this may still be true at the moment, times are definitely changing and we need to make sure we are keeping up. It is a constant source of frustration for me that despite more women coming up through the sport, the industry is still making it hard for us.<\/p>\n

When you look at kayaking events you see examples such as \u201cKing of the Alps\u201d, \u201cKing of Asia\u201d and \u201cKing of New York\u201d. Time and time again I find myself, like Eddie Izzard searching the back streets of Thailand, screaming into the online entry pages \u201cWhere are the Queens?\u201d. I have been to events which do not even have a women\u2019s category, despite having 15 female competitors. How much extra time would it really take to have a top 5 final? Why would I bother coming back when I don\u2019t even have a chance of getting into the final, let alone winning a prize?<\/p>\n

Prize money is a constant cause of frustration. So many times I\u2019ve been told that of course I can win the prize money, I just have to beat all the men.\u00a0 Given that I start with a genetic disadvantage, is this really fair? If I am paying the same entry fee as the men then I should have the same chance of winning a cash prize. I get that if there are fewer women and the prize money is equal then actually I have a higher chance of winning, which I agree is also not ideal. In that case why not try setting a proportional prize to encourage greater participation or introducing a handicap to scale the times so everyone competes on an equal playing field?<\/p>\n

I also think that the media coverage of the women\u2019s competitions is often very poor. I sincerely hope that at Sickline this year they televise the full women\u2019s final rather than spending their hour of airtime purely on setting the scene for the men\u2019s race. Equal coverage has the potential to particularly help women who are just starting in the sport, introducing role models and proving that your gender is not something which should hold you back.\u00a0 There are female paddlers out there and they are good!\u00a0 We need the stories of these women shared loud and proud so that ladies of any age know that they can paddle too.<\/p>\n

For a few years now I have grumbled in the background, but given the clear evidence I have seen of the increase in women on the river, at events and in races, I decided that now is the time to speak up.<\/p>\n

So here is my plea: there are many awesome women out there in kayaking and in the outdoors in general, so let\u2019s make it easy for them! Give us a better choice of kit, let the racing \u201cQueens\u201d have a shot at some decent prizes and shout about it when we win!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\u201cGirls

\u201cGirls just wanna have fun\u201d during an expedition in Indonesia. Photo \u2013 Beth Hume<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing up as an enthusiastic female kayaker and learning to paddle with family and friends of all genders and ages, I didn\u2019t really realise there was a gender inequality in the sport until I went to University. Despite a number of inspirational female paddlers having been through Leeds University, I still often found myself alone … <\/p>\n

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