Gender differences in hunter recruitment and dedication in Denmark

Abstract

Females represent a growing, but largely untapped, demographic among hunters, yet relatively little is known about female hunting recruitment and dedication. We began to address the need for research on the role of gender in hunter recruitment and dedication with a mail survey of Danish Hunters Association members (n = 701). Females were older (x = 22) than males (x = 15, SE = 2.1) when they first participated in hunting as a spectator. Females were less dedicated to hunting than males based on days spent hunting in the 2005-06 hunting season (10.4 versus 23.4) and the amount of money spent on hunting annually (6,419 versus 11,086 Danish krones). The lower dedication among female respondents may be explained in part by previous research suggesting that early engagement in hunting is a predictor of persistence as a hunter. Thus, addressing the gender gap in hunter recruitment, retention, and dedication will likely require engaging females at younger ages and through familial networks. Given the increasingly important role of women in decision making in family activities, the importance of family in maintaining hunting participation, and the huge gender bias among hunters, investing in efforts to promote female hunting participation should be central to international hunting recruitment and retention efforts.