In 1893 Lily Bristow gathered an impressive list of climbs: The Grepon, The Petit Dru, Zinal Rothorn and the Matterhorn. It was in respect of these ascents that Fred Mummery resurrected the following;
It has been frequently noticed that mountains appear to be doomed to pass through three stages: An inaccessible peak - The most difficult ascent in the Alps - An easy day for a lady.
Despite the intended compliment, Mummery's quote reveals much of the general attitude towards female mountaineering at the time. For a woman to lead a climb almost belittles the value of it. When Miriam O Brian and Alice Dameseme made the first "manless and guideless" ascent of the Grepon in 1929 Etienne Bruhl mourned the loss of it saying;
Of course there are still some rocks left standing there but as a climb it no longer exists. Now that it has been done by two women alone no self respecting male can undertake it. A pity too because it used to be a very good climb.
For women, the mental and physical challenge of climbing has often been secondary to the prejudices and problems imposed by society. Despite the fact that nearly two hundred years have passed since the first woman climbed Mont Blanc, mountaineering is still a largely male dominated sport.
It is pointless to blame men for this as the antagonisms towards women climbing have been from both sexes. It is more interesting to ask the question why so few females climb? Is it a question of confidence, convention or ability ?
Up until fairly recently, convention placed the woman in the security of the home and the man in the "outside world". Risks, danger and adventure are traditionally part of a male arena in which a female's role is that of the anxious spectator. There was also assumption made about female and male characteristics - speaking crudely "The Tarzan and Jane" analogy. Men were to be strong, virile (and hairy), whilst women screamed, needed to be protected and were blond (and stupid).
For women to dare to enter the high risk world of mountaineering is seen as irresponsible and many were reprimanded for abandoning their duties as wives and mothers. This is a complex issue and it clearly illustrated by the media hype surrounding Alison Hargreave's death last summer. How much discussion was about the families that some of the male climbers left behind? Even today a large part of society cannot accept a mother leaving her children to climb in the Himalayas. The issues raised by her death clearly show that convention has created stereotypes and barriers there still have to be overcome by women who climb. However the barriers exist for men too. Junko Tabei, the Japanese mother and wife who climbed Everest, has an admirably lucid understanding of the different roles of men and women;
Birth, children and the family are a woman's natural problem, this must be accepted. men too have problems,, they must support a family or at least attend their job. So the problems are different but this must be accepted and understood - to a mountaineer the real purpose is still to go to the mountains
Climbing and confidence are obviously closely related. To climb a mountain requires the confidence in yourself to achieve your personal goals. Unfortunately all too often a woman's confidence has been undermined. In 1929 Dorothy Pilley wrote;
The Alpine Journal wavered between incredulity and stern disapproval, announcing the first woman's lead of the Grepon with a hesitating "it is reported" and declaring that "Few ladies, even in these days, are capable of mountaineering unaccompanied."
Men and women have often climbed together but generally the man has taken the lead. How many woman have a high standard of technical climbing and can second routes well but never lead ? It is often psychologically hard for a woman to assert herself and take the lead because she is aware that the male is naturally stronger. Some would argue that females prefer the security of seconding from the higher risks involved with leading.
After the First World War emancipated female mountaineering began to emerge. A group of female mountaineers set up the "Pinnacle Club" in 1921. A founding member, Pat Kelly, describes the incentive for the club;
Perhaps we got tired of being taken in hand by men climbers, kind and helpful though they might be, perhaps we sympathised with the would- be climbing woman who had no man friend to take her in tow....As in other walks of life, women wanted to find their own feet: it was very splendid for some women to be always able to borrow crutches in the shape of a man's help, and a man's rope but it is even better we have feet of our own and can climb some things as well as a man climber.
How realistic was Pat Kelley in assuming that it would only be a matter of time before women would be climbing as well as men?
Can women climb as well as men? Don Whillan's answer to that question is quite striking!
Never noticed a female monkey not climbing as well as a male - have you?
Climbing does not seem to be a sport where there is such a vast difference between male and female performance. Fingerwork and balance often easier for females. Catherine Destivelle, Lynn Hill are only some of the female elite that seem to climb just as hard or harder than many top male climbers. It could be argued that mountaineering is more of a physically demanding but Alison Hargreaves and Wanda Rutkiewicz have made outstanding achievements in high mountains. Woman's ability does not seem to give a satisfactory reason for why they do not climb.
Why more women do not climb still remains an enigma to me. Perhaps they simply do not want to? Perhaps they have more sense? However, for those that do want to try I think that confidence does have an enormous part to play. It takes a lot of self confidence to go against the grain and enter a largely male dominated world, even if the men are encouraging. So often others and ourselves underestimate our full potential