Gender distribution of regular independent climbers in the UK 2017-2019
This statistic shows the result of a survey conducted to assess the state of indoor climbing within the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019.
The share of regular independent climbers* occupied by women in the UK has increased from 29 percent in 2017 to 33 percent in 2019.
Performance
The Journal of Applied Physiology reports that adult men had an average of 33kg skeletal muscle mass while women had 21kg. The distribution between upper and lower body muscle also varies with the average man having 42.9 percent of their total muscle in their upper body with women having 39.7 percent. Whilst this may result in substantial variations in the performance of each gender within some sports, the variable techniques and styles of climbing required for different high-level climbing achievements could be seen to reduce the influence of these physiological differences.
In 1996, at the frontier of British sport climbing, Neil Carson made a groundbreaking first ascent of ‘Big Bang’ in Lower Pen Trwyn. It was the UK’s first 9a and remained unclimbed for 15 years until it was finally repeated in 2011 by James McHaffie. In September 2019, British rock climber Emma Twyford successfully became the third ascensionist. In doing so she became the first British woman to climb 9a and one of only two climbers to have completed Big Bang this century. Similarly we have Sarah Hueniken repeating the hardest alpine mixed climbing routes in the world; Ashima Shiraishi, climbing V13 boulder problems by the age of ten, establishing herself as one of the top bouldering and sport climbers in the world and widely considered to be the best teenage climber of either gender; and let’s not forget Lynn Hill, who made the first free ascent of El Capitan's Nose long before any male climbers claimed the ascent. This high-level female athletes provide role models for a significant population of the climbing community that has been historically underrepresented.
Support Structures
Many pre-existing socio-cultural structures of climbing have historically presented a barrier to participation. Globally, like many 'adventure sports' climbing has traditionally been a male dominated sport. Over recent years there has been several support structures and initiatives developed to educate, reform, and promote gender equality and increase the participation of women in sport, one successful example of such an initiative, specific to climbing, is the Women’s Climbing Symposium. A UK based event that invites speakers and renowned coaches from across the world to discuss their experiences and help to develop individual climbing skills, with the aim to 'Connect, Develop and Inspire’ women in the climbing community
. Despite these developments, there remains significant barriers to the equal representation, and inclusion, of women within the climbing community, highlighting the importance of the development of more events, communities, and support structures which provide an environment that enables greater discussion of the state of gender equality in climbing.
The share of regular independent climbers* occupied by women in the UK has increased from 29 percent in 2017 to 33 percent in 2019.
Performance
The Journal of Applied Physiology reports that adult men had an average of 33kg skeletal muscle mass while women had 21kg. The distribution between upper and lower body muscle also varies with the average man having 42.9 percent of their total muscle in their upper body with women having 39.7 percent. Whilst this may result in substantial variations in the performance of each gender within some sports, the variable techniques and styles of climbing required for different high-level climbing achievements could be seen to reduce the influence of these physiological differences.
In 1996, at the frontier of British sport climbing, Neil Carson made a groundbreaking first ascent of ‘Big Bang’ in Lower Pen Trwyn. It was the UK’s first 9a and remained unclimbed for 15 years until it was finally repeated in 2011 by James McHaffie. In September 2019, British rock climber Emma Twyford successfully became the third ascensionist. In doing so she became the first British woman to climb 9a and one of only two climbers to have completed Big Bang this century. Similarly we have Sarah Hueniken repeating the hardest alpine mixed climbing routes in the world; Ashima Shiraishi, climbing V13 boulder problems by the age of ten, establishing herself as one of the top bouldering and sport climbers in the world and widely considered to be the best teenage climber of either gender; and let’s not forget Lynn Hill, who made the first free ascent of El Capitan's Nose long before any male climbers claimed the ascent. This high-level female athletes provide role models for a significant population of the climbing community that has been historically underrepresented.
Support Structures
Many pre-existing socio-cultural structures of climbing have historically presented a barrier to participation. Globally, like many 'adventure sports' climbing has traditionally been a male dominated sport. Over recent years there has been several support structures and initiatives developed to educate, reform, and promote gender equality and increase the participation of women in sport, one successful example of such an initiative, specific to climbing, is the Women’s Climbing Symposium. A UK based event that invites speakers and renowned coaches from across the world to discuss their experiences and help to develop individual climbing skills, with the aim to 'Connect, Develop and Inspire’ women in the climbing community
. Despite these developments, there remains significant barriers to the equal representation, and inclusion, of women within the climbing community, highlighting the importance of the development of more events, communities, and support structures which provide an environment that enables greater discussion of the state of gender equality in climbing.
