Participants in a weekend outdoor recreation program for women completed surveys on the reasons women participate in single-sex outdoor workshops. The 100 responding participants were primarily White, middle-class, highly educated, and between the ages of 18 and "over 55." The top 10 reasons for participating in the workshop are given, with the top 2 being "to learn new skills" and "for the love of the outdoors." Four categories emerged to explain the desire for a single-sex environment: 1) nonthreatening environment (no men were present, and participants shared a baseline of novice-level skills); 2) reputed quality and safety of the program; 3) to be with other women (anticipated friendships); and 4) to learn outdoor skills and knowledge. The safety of the learning environment was viewed as psychological (free from intimidation, power-over, and role constraints of coed workshops); educational (judgment based on skills is minimized, as is the concomitant embarrassment); physical (no fear about physical safety or violence); and emotional (participants can express emotions without fear of sanctions). (Contains 16 references.) (TD)