‘Gyms need to do more’: Addressing exercise barriers for women to improve health
Key takeaways:
- Women report feeling judgment and harassment when exercising at the gym.
- Collaboration efforts are needed to make gyms a safer and more inclusive space for everyone.
Many women exercising in gym settings report perceived judgment about their appearance and performance as well as harassment and safety concerns, highlighting the need for more inclusive spaces to improve health, survey data show.
“Women are less likely to meet the minimum physical activity requirements than men, contributing to women’s higher morbidity rates and lower mental well-being,” Emma S. Cowley, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of sport and health sciences at the SHE Research Centre at the Technological University of the Shannon, and Kat Schneider, PhD, research fellow in the Centre for Appearance Research at the School of Social Sciences at the College of Health, Science and Society at the University of the West of England, told Healio. “The gym provides an opportunity for women to improve both their physical and psychosocial health, including aerobic capacity vital for cardiovascular and metabolic health, muscular strength and endurance vital for bone mineral density, as well as improving body appreciation, competence and resilience,”
Women’s gym experiences
Cowley and Schneider distributed an online mixed-methods survey to 279 adult women who were current or former gym-goers. All participants answered the 130-item survey assessing experiences of women to identify unique barriers and motivators that influence gym attendance and behaviors.
The findings were published in PLOS One.
Overall, 84.2% of participants were current gym-goers, 32.3% were aged 30 to 39 years, 68.1% were white, 52.7% perceived themselves to be normal weight, 37.6% were currently trying to lose weight, 48% exercised two to three times weekly, 35.1% exercised for 3 to 6 hours weekly and 54.8% were predominantly strength training.
In thematic analysis of qualitative data derived from the surveys, Cowley and Schneider observed four core themes shared by inactive and active women:
- being “never enough,” where women reported feeling judged for both their gym appearance and performance;
- being “often too much,” where women reported being critical of themselves and their own bodies using words such as “excessive,” “extra,” and “too” to convey such criticisms;
- “always on display,” meaning that women reported that their bodies were on display often for male consumption, which was reflected in experiences of harassment, safety concerns, a sense of not belonging and internalized appearance ideals; and
- feeling “sometimes empowered,” where women reported positive experiences of feeling empowered at the gym, specifically when they defied gender norms or exercised in safe and inclusive spaces.
According to Cowley and Schneider, data showed women often felt judged for their appearance and performance, which can lead to persistent senses of inadequacy, the need to fight for space at the gym and to be taken seriously in their exercise while navigating harassment and unsolicited comments from men.
‘Don’t write off the gym’
These findings outline important implications for creating safe, inclusive and empowering gym spaces for women at all levels, according to Cowley and Schneider.
“Finding the right gym environment, the right time to exercise and the right gym clothing makes all the difference,” Cowley and Schneider told Healio. “Don’t write off the gym as a place that isn’t for you if you have had one bad experience. There is a place that suits your needs and preferences.”
For gym-goers, some ways to improve gym experiences include focusing on non-appearance-related goals and emphasizing the physical, mental and emotional benefits of exercise, Cowley and Schneider said. Gyms should also consider implementing and enforcing comprehensive anti-harassment policies and provide staff training to cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment.
“Gyms need to do more to make women feel comfortable and safe,” Cowley and Schneider told Healio. “Transparent, comprehensive policies around harassment are required, as well as more inclusive language and imagery are needed to support women’s — and others’ — enjoyment and participation in gym-based exercise.”
In addition, Cowley and Schneider noted, public health campaigns should promote a “cultural shift” by celebrating exercise as a way to improve one’s health and well-being instead of focusing on aesthetic benefits.
“Going forward, we need collaborative efforts between researchers, women and the fitness industry to create guidance and resources to make gyms safer and more enjoyable places,” Cowley and Schneider told Healio.
For more information:
Emma S. Cowley, PhD, can be reached at emma.cowley@tus.ie; X (Twitter): @EmmaCowley44.
Kat Schneider, PhD, can be reached at kat.schneider@uwe.ac.uk; X (Twitter): @dr_katschneider.