Theodore Roosevelt encouraged the creation of summer camps so boys could connect with nature and remediate what he deemed a “crisis of masculinity.” Over the last century a few research teams have documented the positive developmental outcomes of summer camp. However, there is little data on how camp influences self-perceived gender roles or whether camp provides a safe space for boys to escape from the social pressure to adhere to a masculine stereotype, such as being tough or stoic.
Research suggests that such gendered social pressures are detrimental to men’s mental health. Moreover, masculine gender norms can impair the emotional and physical development of boys. These norms have been linked with negative social, developmental, and psychological outcomes such as violence, aggression, academic difficulties, substance use, neglect of personal health, homophobia, misogyny, and detached fathering. During Roosevelt’s time, “…remaking gender roles was integral to [the] process” of overnight summer camps. Ironically, a more urgent focus of inquiry today is whether camps protect youth from hegemonic gender roles. In contrast with the crisis Roosevelt articulated—where boys were not as masculine as they “should have been"—boys in the US face a new crisis of masculinity.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a traditional, overnight boys’ camp could provide an emotionally and physically safe space for boys to eschew gender stereotypes. Specifically, this study sought to investigate whether boys would self-report lower levels of social pressure to exhibit a tough and emotional stoic persona when surrounded by their peers.
