Can girls be fishermen? A discussion on recreation and gender,

Dr. Diane Kuehn looked at the factor's in people's lives that impacted their participation in sport fishing.  She wanted to know why fishing has declined over the last decade, and why only 12-14% of those that fish are women.  The results of her two-part surveys indicate that there is a significant difference in the starting age of anglers:  males had started at an average age of 7, and all started prior to adulthood; females had started at an average age of 10, and 22% had been introduced to the sport as adults.  Most had learned from their fathers; the adult women were introduced by their partners or spouses.  Grandfathers and uncles were more likely to teach nephews and grandsons than nieces and granddaughters. Kuehn also looked at frequency and opportunity to fish.  In all age groups, females fished less frequently. Their activity was influenced by the support of other family members.  Males, on the other hand, were influenced more by their commitment to the sport.  Socialization during the activity was important to both genders during adolescence, and fishing as a family tradition was very important to girls.  Women were much more focuses on the social aspect of fishing.  While this can be important to men, too, they also cited the sport of it, and men were much more likely to fish by themselves.
Kuehn then inquired of the participants about their favorite outdoor activities, why they enjoy them, and who indoctrinated them.