FEATURE ARTICLE

Women Just Don't Get It

Authors Riley and Arnold share their opinions about why so
few women who live in big cities recreate in public parks

BY ROGER W. RILEY AND
MARGARET L. ARNOLD

When was the last time men did not go to the park because they feared rape from another man or feared being beaten by another man?

My wife often makes a familiar female retort, "Men, they just don't get it!" You know what, I would have to agree with her. Despite my agreement, I have never been able to discover the details of "it." If I knew what "it" was, I could probably make an attempt to change my ways. In defense of men, I always say that women don't get it either, but I have an equally difficul time defining the "it" to which I refer.

Last summer, while driving home from Chicago my wife and I discovered one of the "its" that women don't get. Unfortunately the "it" had to do with their leisure preferences, and more unfortunately, much of the problem is perpetrated by men.

In this opinion piece, we share what we learned out about "it" in the fair city of Chicago.

Our reason for being in Chicago was a study funded by the U.S. Forest Service that focused on the recreation preferences and constraints of urban park users. There were six parks included in the study, each park being chosen to reflect different demographic segments of the city. More than six hundred individuals were interviewed. After gathering data, we discussed our perceptions on the drive home and came to the conclusion that women just didn't get it.

What women didn't get was the constraints portion of the park users study. One question asked people to identify factors that limited their leisure participation in urban parks. Respondents were able to check off their level of constraint from "not at all constrained" to "very constrained." Listed opposite are a few constraints to which people could respond.

There were many other constraints on the questionnaire and additional constraints were identified by asking interviewees about other factors that limited their use of parks.

While conducting the interviews we were surprised to find that women expressed lower levels of constraint than anticipated, even though it has been documented that women are more constrained than men when seeking to engage in recreational activity.

We often heard women say "I'm not constrained by lack of lighting in the park, I just don't go after 5:00 p.m.," or, "Safety or fear of crime isn't a constraint because I make sure that I don't go to the park alone." Time and again we heard women say they were not constrained, but in the same sentence, they spoke of the extra effort they made to keep themselves from being assaulted or put in a dangerous situation. In each case, they made some compensation or adjustment to minimize the situation.

What has happened to these women? We suspect that women have become so familiar with the need for self-protection and self-preservation that they have been

Why People Don't Recreate in Urban Public Parks lack of money ----------- lack of facilities fear of crime-------------- lack of time use of drugs and alcohol in parks ------- fear of racial confrontation fear of physical assault-------------- fear of sexual assault lack of lighting---------- lack of open space lack of transportation--------- no one to recreate with

May / June 1997/ 23

FEATURE ARTICLE

The responses from women in our survey seem to reflect an attitude that "this is the way life is."

indoctrinated to thinking that it is normal for them to take these precautions. In fact, we believe that most women would say it's common sense to take a partner when exercising or to avoid nighttime activity in the parks. Safety experts, teachers, family members and partners have all cautioned women about safety. They are now at the point where they do not question why; they just accept it as a fact of life!

The responses from women in our survey seem to reflect an attitude that "this is the way life is." They do not feel constrained because they have never experienced the alternative of not being concerned for their personal well-being. They do not feel constrained because they act the way they always have: sensibly and intelligently. If the actions that women take are considered to be normal, why are men able to go to the park at night, exercise alone, and feel less fear of being assaulted? This is why we came to the conclusion that women just don't get it. They have become so familiar with the constraining elements that they consider them normal.

Research tells us of several ways this problem can be solved. Many scholars say that women are beginning to resist these constraints; they are ignoring the risks and engaging in leisure because it is their right. To engage in

leisure this way can be exhilarating, but it casts a blind eye to reality. Another solution is to fight for rights, including leisure rights. By fighting back and educating people, women can gain the same rights and privileges that men have always enjoyed. While this effort does not bring immediate results and change is usually slow, increased awareness can help reverse a trend which has become ingrained in the female psyche.

Upon further thought, it was not a case of women not getting it. Men did not get it either. When was the last time men did not go to the park because they feared rape from another man or feared being beaten by another man? Men need to join the fight because they are largely to blame for the constraints that women face when using urban parks for leisure purposes.

It would be fair to say that women and men don't get it.

ROGER W. RlLEY
(formerly of Illinois State University] is on associate professor in the Department of Therapeutic Recreation and leisure Services at Ithaca College, New York.

MARGARET L. ARNOLD
(formerly of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is an assistant professor in the Department of leisure and Recreation Studies at SUNY Cortland, New York.

24 / Illinois Parks and Recreation