"We Wear Our Boots Just Like the Men": Women's Roles in Pacific Northwest Mountains and Society, 1890-1939

Abstract

Women challenged traditional roles and expectations in both the mountains and politics of the 20th-century Pacific Northwest. Though women continued to struggle for equality and retained separate spheres from men, they argued that their unique perspectives as women earned them more equal standing. Comparing the participants of these two activities reveals parallel elements of women’s continuing struggle for equality. Specifically, they shared common identities - only a wealthy minority were able to participate. They also had unique values and self-perceptions as women, finding satisfaction and camaraderie in both front- and backcountry spheres; at the same time many did perpetuate social biases. Finally, these women developed strategies to confront a variety of perceptions held by men in a male-dominated society. Ultimately, by World War II, women had gained social capital in the front country but continued to fight for equal status in the mountains.