Maturing of climbing as a sport & the rise of gyms NYTimes

My initial observation, which lit the fuse on the fembomb, was simply that gyms had made climbing more tame, and more comfortable, and that appealed to a broad range of broads who would probably never have ventured out to a real crag.

Why haven't gyms made 'climbing more tame' for guys too?

They have

clearly been shown, and recently reviewed that women show higher anxiety in comparison to men (Mchenry et al., 2014)

What is it about the first ascent that makes it (seem) more important an issue to men as opposed to women?

approximately 18% of the adult American population suffers from an anxiety-related disorder and another 7% from major depressive disorder each year (Kessler et al., 2005b). Further, females are more than twice as likely as males to be afflicted by mood disorders (Kessler et al., 2005a, Bekker and van Mens-Verhulst, 2007). These sex differences are observed, not only in the U.S., but are also documented worldwide (Seedat et al., 2009). This sex disparity indicates a potential role for gonadal hormones in the etiology of anxiety and depressive disorders. In fact, studies have revealed that women are more likely to experience mood disturbances, anxiety, and depression during times of hormonal flux, such as puberty, menopause, perimenstrual and post-partum periods (Ahokas et al., 2001, Parker and Brotchie, 2004, Douma et al., 2005, Solomon and Herman, 2009). While hormonal flux in females appears to increase the likelihood of experiencing mood disturbances, clinical and preclinical studies in males suggest that testosterone yields protective benefits against anxiety and depression.

(2) I've heard a lot of people throw around the idea that climbers are a bit nuts, or that they're drawn to the wilderness because they have trouble settling down like a "normal" person. Climbing....calms us down. I suspect many of us are afflicted with that existential anxiety that can't seem to be assuaged by a paycheck, and learning to deal with uncertainty and fear while adventure climbing does a lot to help diffuse the anxiety about life :)

The high number of relevant publications also indicates that it is a hot topic of interest. However, quantity is not quality and currently, despite numerous publications it is very difficult to conclude how testosterone affects cognitions and emotions...But based on our humble experience, the negative results will probably be more common than the published positive ones. And if the contradictory published findings are added, the picture gets even more confusing.

I think there is a very complex social interaction / recognition / ego component to it.

take away the reporting aspect of first ascents. Let's pretend for a moment that we can't report, or there is no means of reporting or recording any first ascents at all. Who would still be out there establishing them?

The existence of gender differences in propensity to take
risks has been documented in a large number of questionnaire
and experimental studies. For example, a metaanalysis
by Byrnes, Miller, and Schafer (1999) reviewed
over 150 papers on gender differences in risk perception.
They concluded that the literature “clearly” indicated that
“male participants are more likely to take risks than female
participants” (p. 377).

Male students showed significantly higher scores on subscales of thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility than female students.

Men score higher than women on measures of sensation-seeking, defined as a willingness to engage in novel or intense activities.

Happens and someone else got to have an FA experience on it.

How would we climb if no one was watching, ever.

a lot do what we do in climbing comes from the ego's need for recognition

I did it again on a visit home after climbing for a year and ended up backing off the traverse to the roof thinking I must have been either a lot lighter or just stupid.

Competition and ego, are the fuel that fires the advancement of climbing.

I worked on a photo shoot with her years ago in Red Rocks, and the DP wanted her on a particular route for the shot. The first bolt was about twenty feet off the deck, she balked at clipping it and asked me to do it for her. So I soloed up to it in my tennies and clipped her rope through it for her. Only time I ever climbed with her, if you wanna call it that.

True story.