The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Why are there so few female birders?

Although Lincolnshire has a few notable female experts (whom I won't identify without their permission), very few women seem to venture out (of their own volition) to coast and countryside with a pair of binoculars.

This is suprising. After all, they like birds. They love to feed the ducks with the grandkids, and they adore chicks (of almost all species) just out of the nest.

What is more, women seem to derive huge pleasure from watching activities around the garden bird table.

On that basis, I would be prepared to guess that organisations such as the RSPB and possibly the
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust have as many, if not more, women members than men. They certainly turn out in abundance for local branch meetings

Yet I am pretty confident that relatively few belong to either the BTO or the Lincolnshire Bird Club -
organisations with a slightly different emphasis.

I have seldom (if ever) seen woman/ women birders scanning the wildfowl at Covenham reservoir or trekking along the coastal saltmarshes in a quest for harriers or other unusual species. And when the national media carry images of a throng of birders attending the sighting of some mega-rarity, there is never a woman in shot.

What is the explanation for this? Is there one? Do they feel intimidated? Are binoculars too heavy/uncomfortable?

By way of comparison, up until about 20 years ago, women had no interest in football - very few watched it on TV and hardly any attended matches. But now that's all changed. Many are avid fans. What prompted that particular revolution? Could it happen in the birding world?

I could also pose similar questions about birders from ethnic minorities (are there any?). But, on second thoughts, no! I don't want the Moderators to come down on me like a ton of bricks!

I think you're forgetting that there are plenty of women birders who read the posts on this forum.

Be warned, us female types can hold a pretty powerful grudge against anyone who ruffles our delicate little feathers.

I can't give you an answer to your question. I agree, I don't tend to see many of my species when I'm out birding. But we are out there, even if we are the minority group.

Does it matter? In my opinion, not much.

As a lone female birder, I've never encountered any issues or felt 'intimidated' when out birding or twitching. The majority of fellow watchers do appear to be men or a sub-species thereof, but I'm always welcomed and treated as an equal.
(Although I do think they're all secretly impressed that I can carry a big heavy scope AS WELL AS a pair of binoculars....)

So let's not drag up this issue of gender unbalance in the birding world. We don't need to make the equipment lighter, improve hide facilities, or offer a free manicure with each trip to Covenham. Women will bird if they want to bird, and we do, in greater numbers than you think!

Let's focus our attention on getting more people inspired by birds and the natural world, regardless of what's underneath their trousers.


Why aren't there more women birders? Personally, I don't like it when the wind messes up my hair....

Jolly good read.."sub species" ha ha that made me chuckle..alot of us wouldnt mind if we had hair to mess up!

when taking field trips for the rspb for example the last trip to bempton ladies outnumbered men, it is possible that some ladies like and feel more secure in a social group, well said Georgia gender does not matter, plenty of ladies up here, Georgia, Julie, sue, she found the (rosefinch at tetney) ann, etc etc etc . where do I fit into the sub species Georgia, I like it, oh by the way I am going to look for nightjar and woodcock later this wk or early next wk if you want a trip give me a bell take care
terry whalin

I've looked at this in a parochial way based on 263 members and supporters of BTO in East Lincolnshire. Based on gender titles I can report 32% are female. I would not describe that as rare or scarce or even a significant minority. Sounds like helluva lot to me.

In fact its the same percentage as Buzzards I've seen in 125 Birdtrack lists I've submitted in 2014 so far!

I should add that the support of all members of both LBC and BTO is valued and appreciated regardless of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation.

Thanks, Phil, for that piece of data. Contrary to my earlier suggestion, it seems that female birders are not so rare after all. In fact, they are quite plentiful, though perhaps less conspicuous.

Huge apologies to Georgia for being so ungallant as to "ruffle feathers" , though I think she has slightly risen to a bait that was never cast.

My question was born of curiosity with no intent to create an "issue" of gender imbalance.

It was the equivalent of asking why so many goalscoring chances are not taken in football or why, to their shame, so few men have an aptitude for housework (though they sometimes make up for it in the garden ).

It just goes to show that, however innocuous a question, it can so easily be misinterpreted.

Anyway, Phil's timely intervention seems, in the current jargon, to have "brought closure" to the matter .

(Forgive me: it's very easy to get carried away with these smiley icons!)

This is an interesting consideration. There are plenty of women out birdwatching but maybe mostly on organised jollies and not out there hunting the birds as individuals. I wonder if the limiting factor in women feeling OK about being in the wilds birdwatching is the presence of male birdwatchers? Maybe they don't feel safe.

Never been an issue for me - but then again I am not a 'stereotypical' woman birder, owing to my autism and Asexuality. Always thought that my approach towards birding is more masculine than feminine!

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That's interesting (and forthright), Katherine. Does autism make any difference to birding? Can't think that it would, but I might be wrong.