Women’s hour - birdwatching. WTF is wrong with some women?

It is utterly, utterly depressing and frustrating.

Think about the messages we are sending each other (and our daughters) as women:

• we should have ‘imposter syndrome’ when embarking on anything that involves risk or being in a different or challenging environment eg starting a business, getting a promotion, going to a new place
• we should be at best uncomfortable and at worst terrified of being in male company if there aren’t other women present
• we should fear for our safety on the streets and in isolated places - regardless of the actual risk
• we should assume we are incapable rather than assuming we are capable
• we should rely on our husbands for the care of multiple children and the undertaking of traditionally ‘male’ tasks because we won’t be able to cope
• we should get more and more fearful as we age and shrink our world accordingly

And yes, MN perpetuates this.

So those of you in the sector recognise exactly what she was trying to convey. Good.
Woman’s Hour is not a birdwatching/nature programme, it’s broad in its scope.
OP (and others) did not recognise this when she said she was terrified to pick up binoculars. If she’s as brilliant as you say it’s a shame she didn’t think prepare for her WH interview better.

Very early in my career I perfected the art of making a really terrible cup of tea if people asked me to do it because I am a woman .

They never ask again

(The first few times it was accidental to be fair as I don't drink tea)

This. I've followed Lucy's work for years and seeing women talk about her like this is one of the worst things I've seen on Mumsnet and believe me that's saying something. Those of us working in the sector recognise what she is saying, maybe not for ourselves personally but many women do not feel comfortable in remote places alone or in spaces where there are more men and this excludes hobbies like birding. We work hard to try and reach people so that everyone can experience the benefits and beauty of the natural world. Those were the people she was talking to, not you that's great....don't come on here and call this hard working brilliant woman and Mum pathetic. She did a great segment on female bird calls as well that was really interesting that might be more up your street if the access to nature segment wasn't. Some of y'all need to spend a few hours in a hide regulating your emotions.

And often when someone says they’re scared to pick something up there’s meaning behind it, not just I’m scared to touch them

I think posters need to look up who Lucy McRobert is. She's involved in projects to get people interested in nature. That involves research. If the feedback has used the word scared, then why should she ignore that? We don't all live in the same place, have the same past experiences etc, trying something new, can be scary. Having to be in groups of men, even more so, depending on your lived experience. If you're younger and attractive, that brings another element in. If you are a woman of colour, wear clothing that identifies your religion etc, that's another element, especially after the racially motivated rapes that's happened. Which is why, women only, women of colour, Muslim etc groups have started. It's really the best thing for MH, it doesn't have to cost a lot, you can do it with children, so we need to address and break down the barriers that stops women from engaging.

Is bird watching male?

I think of twitching as being male oriented. I have no stats to back that up, just sweeping generalisations.

I've had a few weird experiences birdwatching. I went into a hide near me when I had just got into birdwatching. It was full of men with massive kit on tripods. They looked at me scathingly with my little binoculars and wouldn't speak to me or make room for me. I left and never went back there. I also had an experience recently when I saw some guys with a similar set up in Mull. I asked what they were seeing and a guy looked up and said in flat tone ' were you speaking to me?' He wasn't very nice. His pal let me have a look as a white tailed eagle in a tree. I wonder if it is related to the size of their kit?

on biting binoculars, I went to get new ones last week and was very glad to be served by a female who didn't try to mansplain stuff but went through the options methodically and let me try them until I was satisfied with the ones I chose.

These are just my own experiences. Not really scary but some men can really be dicks no matter what the hobby. I prefer just to sit on the beach/park/hill on my own to stare out at the birds. It possibly makes women vulnerable doing this?

That’s a completely different conversation. Of course women have real safety fears in that scenario, but that’s not what is being discussed here.

She said she was scared and intimidated about picking up binoculars.

So when women talk about feeling scared or intimidated walking home alone late at night or taking precautions to make them feel safe that’s acceptable but it’s not acceptable for a woman to want to feel safe and secure whilst being alone out in nature?

I didn't hear the interview. But perhaps her experiences have involved being belittled by the type of men who know it all, who have all the kit and who dominate the hides?

I personally wouldn't love going somewhere isolated to sit alone in a small enclosed space with what seems to mostly be men. One in four women in the UK has been raped or sexually assaulted, and that's just what's reported, so I'd say that's a common and prudent wariness. A different matter if she's somewhere safer, but still id imagine a lot of the best birdwatching places are rural and isolated.

From what people have described on this thread, it reminds me.of my mother's approach to men. Unsure of how to act, so tends to fawn and reduce herself to try and get what she wants and maybe keep safe.

Perhaps this interviewee wasn't able to directly say publicly why she really felt intimidated; people tend to dogpile on women who don't fawn over men. Or, as evidenced by a lot of this thread, tend to believe that their experience/outlook is the only correct one, an incurious internalised misogyny, perhaps.

I think posters need to look up who Lucy McRobert is. She's involved in projects to get people interested in nature. That involves research. If the feedback has used the word scared, then why should she ignore that? We don't all live in the same place, have the same past experiences etc, trying something new, can be scary. Having to be in groups of men, even more so, depending on your lived experience. If you're younger and attractive, that brings another element in. If you are a woman of colour, wear clothing that identifies your religion etc, that's another element, especially after the racially motivated rapes that's happened. Which is why, women only, women of colour, Muslim etc groups have started. It's really the best thing for MH, it doesn't have to cost a lot, you can do it with children, so we need to address and break down the barriers that stops women from engaging.

I didn’t hear the programme but it is intimidating to have a hobby that is traditionally male. I love trains, I don’t go train spotting as I wouldn’t want to hang about with the types of men that stand on the end of platforms. If it was a big group of women doing it, I’d happily join in. I like heritage railways. Would I volunteer at one? Probably not as I expect I’d get asked to make tea. When I read the rail industry press on my way home after work I can tell blokes on the train are looking at me like I’m some kind of freak. So maybe that’s what was putting her off.