Factors Effecting Outdoor Experiences Flashcards
Factors affecting outdoor experience
- Socioeconomic status
- Cultural background
- Age
- Gender
- Physical ability
What is socioeconomic status?
Socioeconomic Status (SES) is a
sociological and economic total
measure of a person’s work
experience. It also relates to an
individual’s or family’s economic and
social position in relation to others
based upon education, income and
occupation.
How does socioeconomic status affect OE
Within Australia, there are a lot of
outdoor experiences which are free
but if you were to pay for an
outdoor experience (Etc Rock
climbing, skiing) - Australia is
generally very costly. Therefore
having a low socioeconomic status
can severely limit the range of
experiences you might be able to
have access to in the outdoors.
What is cultural background?
Cultural background is the context of
one’s life experience as shaped by
membership in groups based on
ethnicity, race, socioeconomic
status, gender, exceptionalities,
language, religion, sexual orientation
and geographical area.
How does cultural background affect OE?
The main cultural barrier that will
come to mind for most people is
that of Muslim Women and their
cultural influences which mean that
women are not to swim with other
males to “protect women’s
modesty”. For example the rates of
Muslim women swimming are far
below par compared to other
cultures.
How does age affect OE?
Bushwalking is an appropriate activity
for all ages: it involves self-pacing, as
many breaks as you wish & you can go
as far as you want. However, if you were
80 and wanted to do a 7 day walk it may
not be advisable (although it depends
on the individual) - as they are at a
greater risk of injury / damage / physical
ability than someone doing the same
walk that is significantly younger.
How does gender affect OE?
One of the main
gender issues (in reference to outdoor
experiences) is that of there is often found
to be more focus on masculine outdoor
experiences, and therefore it has been
perceived that masculinity (and being a
male) is associated with that sport.
What is physical ability and how does it affect OE?
The ability to perform some physical act;
contrasting with mental ability.
For someone with a high impaired
physical ability it wouldn’t be considered safe
to have them complete high risk outdoor
experiences such as surfing, rock climbing etc
without assistance. To receive this assistance
there would be a money factor involved which
links back to (SES).
