Sex and the city park: the role of gender and sex in psychological restoration in urban greenspaces

In December 2024 the first output of my research strand on nature and gender has been published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494424002494

The study was conducted at the Environmental Psychology Research Group, University of Surrey and was the result of the great collaboration with Aife Hopkins Doyle, Fabio Fasoli, Giulio Faccenda, Mikel Subiza Pérez, Eda Beyazit, and Eleanor Ratcliffe.

Why was this topic important? Research shows alarming trends on gender and nature:

- women seem to visit nature less often than men

- women often don’t feel safe in parks (in the UK, 4 in 5 women walking alone in a park feel unsafe, compared to 2 in 5 men, according to the Office for National Statistics)

- girls and women tend to limit their behaviours in greenspaces, for example they restrict movements to certain areas.

We found that traditional gender roles and stereotypes, as well as poor safety perceptions, can impair nature experiences for women and sometimes discourage visits. This is problematic considering the mental health benefits of nature exposure.

Key takeaways:

- Safety is a key aspect for women. This is also related to the risks of sexual harassment in public spaces (in the UK 81% of women report having experienced sexual harassment and/or assault, compared to 43% of men). Other than a cultural change, open vegetation, maintenance, aesthetics, and presence of others can foster safety perceptions

- Gender stereotypes affect behaviours in nature, since early ages: often, girls are not encouraged explore and be independent in nature. This affects nature relationships as adults too

- Gender roles: women are still nowadays more likely to be caregivers in the family. This means that solitary relaxation in nature can be rare

- Certain sex-related aspects also make females’ experiences of nature complex, such as the need for restroom facilities or nature visits during menstruation and menopause

- Ethnic minorities, young or older women, or poor health groups can be subject to specific expectations and prejudice

Despite these challenges, nature is a crucial resource for women’s health: it contributes to wellbeing, empowerment, and quality family time.

Importantly, gender per se does not shape nature experiences; it is the social aspects of gender (stereotypes, roles, as well as gender-based violence) which can have an influence.

Even if this was not the focus of the study, gender roles and stereotypes might also affect, and limit, nature experiences of men (e.g. expectations on displaying masculine behaviours). Research on this seems to be scarce.

Research should take these unique aspects into account when examining women's experiences of nature.

Policy makers should also consider these when planning for nature access – for example by improving maintenance of parks, or promoting greenspaces as places for women’s wellbeing and their empowerment.