Wemcast

In this episode, Stephen Wood sits down with Julie Rak to discuss gender equity in mountaineering. Junko Tabei isn’t as much a household name as Edmund Hillary or Jon Krakauer, but she is one of the world’s most accomplished climbers. She was the first woman to summit Mt. Everest and has also the first woman to climb the seven summits. She is listed as a “housewife” in several sources, which couldn’t be further from the truth as she was an avid climber, environmentalist, author and teacher. This is a good example though, of how woman have been diminished in the field. Woman involved in mountaineering have been disparaged and ridiculed. Equipment isn’t always designed with women in mind and even terms like “Brotherhood of the Rope” suggests that climbing is for men. Julie is a professor by trade, climber for fun and discusses eloquently the merits of woman climbers. She reminds us of the importance of considering gender in a positive way, to celebrate accomplishments and to recognise achievement. Stephen and J