How many women are involved in shooting, really?

We all know that historically, shooting and fieldsports have been extremely male dominated. This is no shock to anyone, and the facts speak for themselves when 96% of shotgun certificate holders in the UK, in the ripe year of 2021, are male. But what should also not be a surprise is that women have always been interested in fieldsports, even if it has been a statistical 4% minority. That 4% still equates to nearly 35,000 women. And that's just the ones with a certificate. The 2021 Game Shooting Census by GunsOnPegs and Lycetts revealed that around 50% of men who shoot have at least one female family member who is involved in shooting in some way, as guns themselves or in some other capacity like beating, hosting, or picking up.

That being said, shooting can be a daunting world for women. Ask any woman who has been a keen shot or has been out beating on a local shoot day and she will tell you that it took balls to turn up and get involved. Women I have spoken to have told me about remarks that have been made towards them on a shoot day by men and the atmosphere not presenting as the most approachable. A male dominated culture with “banter” isn’t always all that welcoming but, in my opinion, times are changing, more opportunities are arising and preconceived misconceptions of women in fieldsports are becoming extinct. Of course, this is not always the case. There have always been men welcoming ladies into the world of shooting and hunting. That's exactly how I got involved. Without my dad being an extremely keen shot and eager to show me the ropes, I would never have got into shooting at such a young age.

Now more than ever, I think it is clear to see that the interest from women in these sports are growing rapidly, and it is no longer just a "man's world". Yes, women are completely outnumbered statistically but I can personally prove that the market is becoming more female savvy and friendly.

The value of community

Since we started in November 2020 in the middle of a pandemic, The Country Girls UK (The CGUK) has produced sold out game, simulated and tuition events across the UK and Ireland every single weekend and welcomed 400+ women into its membership community with this figure growing every single day. My biggest discovery since starting The CGUK is how many women appreciate the value of community and support from likeminded individuals, perhaps even more so than male shots would. I'm sure that this is why ladies' shooting groups are becoming increasingly popular.

The matter of the fact is, women want to be involved and we don’t want to be treated any differently. We don’t want ‘low birds put over the women’ as a well-known sporting agency implied, as they tried to sell me a day at an ‘amazing family run shoot’ at just £70 a bird for my ladies. How is someone new to the world of shooting, with few or no contacts, little to no experience and not much support around them supposed to make their way through the laser field that is the shooting world and get out the other side without people to guide them? Two words: they can’t!

Community is everything and having a community to help guide, educate and support people is a huge part of what we do and what the shooting community is getting much better at.

The power of social media

Why is it becoming more normal to see women standing on peg with a gun, having an immaculate picking up team or joining the beating line? I do genuinely believe social media has a huge part to play. Love it or hate it, it has opened so many doors and welcomed so many opportunities for those that may have never come across shooting or any fieldsports for that matter before.

It is easy for fake news to be believed, but likewise it is so easy to educate and get the right message across and get more people involved. With millions of people scrolling through social media every day, it is so important that those looking for the right information and opportunities can find them. Take The Country Girls UK for example: all of our marketing in our first year was done exclusively done through social media. How easy is it to see another individual in a very similar phase of life to you absolutely loving life with new welcoming and supportive friends in the gun line, or trying shooting for the first time and boasting about how they managed to hit their first ever clay?

The ability to be able to share the excitement, the hunger for more and the passion for what we do is extremely powerful and intrigues so many others. Used in the right way, this alone can shape a person’s perception and desire to get involved with any aspect of country life. The more we leverage this platform and intrigue newcomers into the world of fieldsports, the more success we have at sustaining the longevity of shooting.

Inclusivity, positivity, and a sustainable future for shooting

It is no shock that events such as ladies’ days have started to become increasingly popular, and even more so, ladies only shooting clubs. In my eyes, the more people we can get into shooting, the more people we can educate on why we do what we do, the better it is for the shooting community as a whole and every single occupation that comes with it. It has nothing to do with being a discriminative feminist. It has everything to do with sustaining shooting for the future generations to come by providing the opportunity for people to feel comfortable out in the field. That’s what matters!

That 4% figure is going to rise. The members of The Country Girls UK range from ages 18-70 and we welcome every ability from those that have never picked up a gun before through to those training for major competitions. With the numbers of women who hold shotgun licences consistently growing, the data proves that the desire for these kinds of clubs is there and that the involvement of women in this sport is constantly on the rise. The number of women joining online groups such as our Country Girls Instagram and Facebook pages is increasing week on week. Our Instagram page for example has over 17k followers with 70% being female. 

It goes without saying that a lot of the people we interact with daily have never been involved in fieldsports but have always wanted to. That’s the key with social media, it opens a world people know nothing about and makes them want to be a part of it. It’s extremely powerful.

I think it’s safe to say that although women have always been interested in fieldsports the opportunities that are available through social media and women’s only country groups such as The Country Girls UK, BASC ladies shooting, The Chelsea bun club and the many other incredible groups available has escalated women’s participation in fieldsports more recently than ever before and long may it continue.