The results are in: Mariah Davenport’s eye-opening skate survey

A lot of number-crunching has been going on since we last spoke to Mariah about the survey. The results and the in-depth analysis that Mariah has made paint a very different picture of skateboarding than the widely accepted image of a male-dominated macho culture. The full report takes a deep dive into every aspect of skate culture and in this article, we’ll take a look at some of the highlights.

Before we get into it, it’s important to know how this survey, and the resulting report, were created. The 2021 Skateboarder Representation survey was circulated amongst the recreational skateboarding community in February 2021. It was 25 questions long and focused on demographics, experiences within the skate community, and experiences with the skate industry. The purpose of this study was to fill in the gaps and limitations of prior research by centering the experiences and perspectives of women and gender non-conforming skateboarders.

The final results were compiled into a report which has three intentions: 1. to bring awareness to the general population of skateboarders of the biases that women face in skateboarding; 2. to provide a foundation of understanding for ways to make skateboarding spaces more accessible to women and gender-nonconforming skaters; and 3. to advocate for welcoming women to have a stake in the ownership of skateboarding.

Let’s talk a look.

Gender, race, and sexuality

One particularly notable insight that this report offers is around the gender balance of skateboarders. Skateboarding has long been seen as male-dominated — we’ve even referred to it in these terms ourselves — but the new data suggests otherwise. Based on the survey data,  32% of respondents identify as women, and 25% identify as gender non-conforming. Combined, they make 57% of survey respondents, compared to 43% who identify as men.

It’s noted that anytime the words “men” and “women” are used throughout this report, it is referring to cis-gendered men and women (men and women whose gender expression is in alignment with the gender roles they were assigned at birth).

As for race, the balance of white and non-white skaters is quite similar. 53% of respondents identified as white, while 25% identified as BIPOC and 21% identified as racially non-binary (RNB).

Similarly, with sexuality, there was an almost equal split between straight and LGBTQ+ skateboarders. And if we add in the 9% of respondents who selected “questioning or unclear” then it could be said that queer skateboarders make up the majority.

Participation

Interestingly, the report shows that participation rates of women have increased 790% over the past 10 years, while participation rates of men have decreased 47% over the past 10 years.

Mariah noted in her analysis, “The logarithmic growth of participation rates among women is largely due to the ability for women to find representation for themselves on social media platforms to compensate for the lack of representation in mainstream media. Women and GNC skaters were finally able to see themselves in the act of skateboarding and building community to support one another’s progress from a distance. The more gradual growth leading up to this explosion is also credited to the on-the-ground work of women-led organizations and meetups. Some examples of these are Skate Like A Girl, Exposure Skate, Lisa Whitaker, Briana King’s Meetup Tour, and many more. All of whom were teaching, advocating, filming, and organizing in order for more women to have access to the sport of skateboarding.”

Barriers To Entry

The report also looks at the obstacles different skaters face in order to participate in skateboarding. Variables that were considered include how skaters received their first skateboard, where they prefer to skateboard, and their experiences interacting with the skateboarding industry.

Mariah points out, “As expected, gender is notably the biggest barrier to entry in skateboarding. While it is to a much lesser extent, race and sexuality are still showing patterns of disadvantage in skateboarding as well.”

Men are 4x more likely than both women and gender-nonconforming skaters to have their first skateboard bought for them. On the flip side, the results show that women are 2.5x more likely than men and 3x more likely than gender non-conforming skaters to have bought their first skateboard themselves. On the surface, this statistic might not seem that interesting, but Mariah explains it through a sociological lens:

“This statistic, along with hundreds of self-described comments, pointed to the phenomenon that women are starting to skateboard for the first time
at later ages as they gain autonomy from parental structures and the imposed gender roles of their social conditioning. Our survey shows that women make up 78% of those with 0-3 years of experience and 73% of those aged 17-22. As it becomes more socially acceptable and represented by mainstream media that women do participate in skateboarding, their age of entry will likely shift to the typical 9–13-year-old starting age we see in boys and will receive their first skateboard as a gift as well. This requires a change in the general social beliefs about how a young girl “should” be and is not limited to experiences in the skateboarding community.”

Considering the overlapping timeline of skateboarding’s popularity and the changing social norms, Mariah continues, “Because of existing social standards at the inception of skateboarding, women of that era were expected to act and behave a certain way. The expectation of what a “nice young lady” should be, did not align with the image of skateboarding. Instead of encouraging this rebellion amongst women, someone in a position of power took this as a signal that women just weren’t interested in the sport (or worst-case scenario, they didn’t stop to consider women at all). This assumption, with a lack of women in positions of influence in skateboarding, led to brands not even bothering to market to women or representing our existence in the sport whatsoever.”

Reflecting on their own experiences as a young skateboarder, Mariah recalls being told by both family and doctors that “If I skate, I’ll bruise up my legs and it will make me unattractive to men.”

“To be a skater girl pre-2017 was an act of rebellion that has gone largely unnoticed until now. The few of us that stuck with it through both the
personal challenges of progression and abuses from the outside world are now in a position to make space for other women and queer folks who have
always been interested but have yet to find the right access point.”

Mariah hopes that the 2021 Skateboarder Representation Survey Report will “create a foundation that allows us to stop perpetuating a narrative that has many still believing that women are lesser than in skateboarding,” and offers a call to action for “men to stand by us in our attempt to change this narrative” since they continue to hold economic and social power in skateboarding.

With optimism, Mariah notes that “Slowly, as more skateboarders age and start families of their own, more kids are being raised with a supportive environment about skateboarding, including women. In fact, many of the young girls who are entering the scene with phenomenal talent now are a result of being uninhibited by the beliefs of larger society towards women in this sport. This is in huge part due to the social beliefs of a parent born into skateboarding culture.”

Social Environment

When asked about their preferred skate style, women and GNC skaters were slightly more likely to choose that they prefer to skate empty parking lots as opposed to street, skateparks, or transition.

From their own past experiences, as someone who grew up as a woman in skateboarding, Mariah wasn’t surprised by this data because “Going to a skatepark or any space where the collective community of male skateboarders are all in one place can be intimidating for women and gender non-conforming peoples.”

Mariah is quick to deflect the common argument “that no one is stopping us from skating and these limits to access are at times self-imposed” explaining that “While this isn’t inherently wrong, it is insensitive to the experiences that women and queer people have historically had in male-dominated spaces. While yes, these limits are self-imposed subconsciously, they are decided based on very real experiences of domination and objectification that men do not have to consider when entering these spaces.”

Hypothesizing how access to skate parks and the assumption of equality in skateboarding may have impacted previous survey data, Mariah notes, “Prior to the social media era, all skateboarding research has been conducted by going to skateparks or skate shops. Both of which have not been historically accessible or inviting towards women and GNC people. When fewer women were surveyed as a result of only considering these spaces, it was further assumed that women make up a minuscule portion of the skateboarding community. Most of my own upbringing was spent alone in my driveway or in an empty parking lot with a small group of friends.”

Mariah goes on to note the importance of refining the lens through which skateboarding research is conducted and why it’s important for more women who skateboard to be hired in positions where they have a voice. “When our voices are left out, our community does not get served. Women in skateboarding do not wish to be the charity case for the “good guys”. We wish to have ownership over the perspective we bring to skateboarding culture.”

Why People Skateboard

We all knew it, but now the data confirms: skateboarding is the ultimate form of play. In a completely open-ended question, all 2,284 respondents were able to type in their own responses. The most common word by far was “Fun,” with 38% of all respondents using the word to describe why they skateboard.

The second most popular answer shows that people skateboard for mental/emotional relief — in particular, as a way to reduce stress, relax, and as a way to escape or distract themselves.

The full report includes many other insights into the strength of skate communities, how often people skate, sponsorship experiences, and more. For businesses interested in deeper insights into the marketing behaviors for recreational skateboarders (centering women & gender non-conforming perspectives) you can request the Highlights For Businesses Report by emailing Mariah.