Page 6 | To think this is unfair?

Whenlifegivesyouoranges · 2025-07-01T19:14:53+00:00

I joined a gym a few months ago and one of the main points for me was that it’s female only from 9-7 weekdays. I’ve just had this email from them and I’ll be cancelling as it no longer fits in with the times I can go, but this is ridiculous, right??

Pluvia · 01/07/2025 22:18

Kellywiththelegs · 01/07/2025 22:10

There’s obviously been something said in their feedback to make this decision. Odd that younger women don’t want to be around older women

The 24’s and under must be scared of catching ‘old’ they don’t want to see their future by looking at us 🙄

And QED — OP would have an ageism case.

Whateveritsallmadnow · 01/07/2025 22:19

Pluvia · 01/07/2025 22:16

This would seem to imply that the person making the decisions at the gym knows nothing about the law, doesn't it?

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Obviously one of the gyms that have sprung up with owners that have no clue and generally work in the building trade by day,or have teenage daughters they want to impress 😂

Thatsrhesummeroverthen · 01/07/2025 22:19

Coconutter24 · 01/07/2025 22:14

I came to that conclusion by the reason I just wrote

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But the trans woman can't go to female only time at all?
I feel like I'm in the middle of some strange logic puzzle..
OP is now restricted to only going before the young-woman session starts now, is that right?

Dandelionlawn · 01/07/2025 22:20

You can't imagine enough younger people would have a problem with who works out there to provide such odd feedback. Dd is in that age bracket, I just don't think it's something she'd say. It's quite entitled to give feedback that you want the gym closed to all age groups but yours at peak time.

Northernparent68 · 01/07/2025 22:20

OP, which gym and what country are you in

Pluvia · 01/07/2025 22:21

RavenLaw · Today 20:25
Not ridiculous at all - teenage girls collectively are a group highly at risk of stopping exercising.

Really? Can you post the evidence?

Booklover2021 · 01/07/2025 22:23

RavenLaw · 01/07/2025 20:25

Not ridiculous at all - teenage girls collectively are a group highly at risk of stopping exercising. There's a purpose in providing a space just for them, just as there is a purpose in women only gym sessions in the first place. If the gym managers think there's a workable business case for making it work good luck to them. If it doesn't then they'll go bust.

I have to respectfully disagree here. Women's only gym spaces I get, I go to the gym and if (for example) the weight room is overrun with men, I feel uncomfortable. My experience of teenage girls at the gym is a lot of posturing and taking selfies (each to their own), but I can't see how not allowing older women to attend at these times would have any impact in terms of safeguarding or how these girls may feel? If anything, I'm sure my flabby and giggly body on the treadmill will provide them with a much needed confidence boost 😂

Booklover2021 · 01/07/2025 22:23

I have to respectfully disagree here. Women's only gym spaces I get, I go to the gym and if (for example) the weight room is overrun with men, I feel uncomfortable. My experience of teenage girls at the gym is a lot of posturing and taking selfies (each to their own), but I can't see how not allowing older women to attend at these times would have any impact in terms of safeguarding or how these girls may feel? If anything, I'm sure my flabby and giggly body on the treadmill will provide them with a much needed confidence boost 😂

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Sorry I meant jiggly*

Nachoinseachthu · 01/07/2025 22:24

Coconutter24 · 01/07/2025 21:55

But how would that work, the transwoman that is 25+ could just turn up at 2pm for an hour or 2 or anytime in the morning whilst it’s still female only time so I doubt that is the reason

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Yes, but this would provide safeguarding for minors.

Cerezo · 01/07/2025 22:24

FateAmenableToChange · 01/07/2025 20:25

I dont think you can discriminate against older people like that, Id be very surprised if that was legal. Its not the same as providing a single sex service which obviously has very clear legal reasons - older women arent known for sexually attacking younger women 😂 And regardless its changing terms under which you joined, so they need to refund you any joining fees and let you leave if they plan to continue with the discrimination.

You tell ‘em!

I love that you haven’t let the fact you don’t know how those words work stop you from using them.

Didimum · 01/07/2025 22:24

Pluvia · 01/07/2025 22:15

If you know this, why on earth did you just post that the gym have acted legally and thus mislead anyone reading? It's very clearly ageism and that's illegal.

They would have to have a very strong reason to get away with this and it would require a judge to hear their case in court to decide whether it was proportionate. It's impossible to imagine a situation where it would be, which is why several of us have urged OP to write to the gym telling them they appear to be acting illegally and asking them to explain their reason for doing this.

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I didn’t say they’ve acted legally, I’ve said the poster I was replying to didn’t know their reasons for detailing the hours and their justification. Just because you find it ‘impossible to imagine’ doesn’t mean they don’t have it. OP can find out the justification. She can go from there.

RunsWithDinosaurs · 01/07/2025 22:29

Didimum · 01/07/2025 21:11

Peak gym hours are 6:30-9am and 5-8pm, so it’s entirely avoiding peak gym hours. The business sense behind this rest entirely on their clientele demographic, which you wouldn’t be aware of to the extent to declare it a ‘terrible business decision’.

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”clientele demographic” is irrelevant to the legality. You sound like you have skin in the game, you may want to familiarise yourself with this: Banning age discrimination in services

The existence of Brownies and pensions is also irrelevant here as there are special provisions for under 18s and over 65s. A business can only discriminate based on age if it’s “a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”. 12-24 is a really odd age range, “our younger members asked for it” isn’t going to be a strong enough argument to legally justify excluding women over 24 with full time jobs.

Didimum · 01/07/2025 22:31

saltandvinegarchipsticks · 01/07/2025 22:17

You’re not making any sense. You’ve said peak gym hours are 5-8, then said this decision doesn’t overlap with peak gym hours. Except it 100% does, because women over 25 now cannot attend at all between 5-8pm. It doesn’t matter about the rest of the work day, most people… work. Hence why the peak hours are 5-8pm.

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I didn’t say it doesn’t overlap. My above comment says it overlaps by 2hrs. There are 5.5 peak hours in a week day and 2 peak hours on a weekend day (9-12). That’s 31.5 peak hours a week and only 15hrs per week designed for the subscribed age group.

BlueyNeedsToFuckOff · 01/07/2025 22:32

Northernparent68 · 01/07/2025 22:13

In what country? I’ve never heard of a woman only area in a British gym

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Some Pure Gyms have women-only spaces: https://www.puregym.com/help-centre/all-about-our-gyms/are-there-ladies-only-areas-in-my-gym

I’m sure I used to belong to a different gym that had a women-only space as well, but it was always full IIRC

Didimum · 01/07/2025 22:34

RunsWithDinosaurs · 01/07/2025 22:29

”clientele demographic” is irrelevant to the legality. You sound like you have skin in the game, you may want to familiarise yourself with this: Banning age discrimination in services

The existence of Brownies and pensions is also irrelevant here as there are special provisions for under 18s and over 65s. A business can only discriminate based on age if it’s “a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”. 12-24 is a really odd age range, “our younger members asked for it” isn’t going to be a strong enough argument to legally justify excluding women over 24 with full time jobs.

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No skin in the game, simply having a discussion like everyone else on here. Demographic of their business is justifiable if it’s proportionate to the number of hours open and other services provided – you’d have to find that out first.

I was wasn’t the poster who mentioned Brownies and Pensioners so go tell them that instead.

Coconutter24 · 01/07/2025 22:37

Thatsrhesummeroverthen · 01/07/2025 22:19

But the trans woman can't go to female only time at all?
I feel like I'm in the middle of some strange logic puzzle..
OP is now restricted to only going before the young-woman session starts now, is that right?

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The poster said they thought it could be that an over 25 transwoman could be visiting the gym so they put the age limit on the 4-7 to stop that… I said I don’t think it’s that because that doesn’t stop the transwoman visiting earlier in the day when there is no age limit

FishChipsAndVinegarPlease · 01/07/2025 22:37

How many 12 year olds are using a paid for gym?!

Coconutter24 · 01/07/2025 22:38

Nachoinseachthu · 01/07/2025 22:24

Yes, but this would provide safeguarding for minors.

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or it could just not be about trans women at all

RavenLaw · 01/07/2025 22:41

Rememberwhatthedoorknobsaid · 01/07/2025 21:11

I think your logic is backward as your first point contradicts the second - you suggest older women and intimidated by younger women and then younger women are intimidated by older women?

If you think older women are intimidated by younger women then why have the older women been banned? For their own protection?

I very much doubt that younger women are intimidated by older women - likelihood is the opposite is true when it comes to physical appearance and I can’t see the distinction between a 24 yr old and a 36yr old - both are adult.

And I doubt much “chatting up” goes on at a female only session. I might be wrong.

OP I think this rule is ageist and I would be letting them gym know that you have reported them to trading standards (and I would report them to trading standards.)

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Discrimination is legal as long as there is a purpose served and it's reasonable (I paraphrase, but I specialise in this area).

A lot of people would say women only sessions are pointless and sexist. It doesn't matter what people think as long as the business can say they are serving a legitimate aim and it's proportionate.

Many on this thread think that young women only sessions are pointless and ageist. It doesn't matter what you think as long as the business can say they are serving a legitimate aim and it's proportionate.

They don't have to be serving a business aim - it can be business suicide and still perfectly legal.

Matronic6 · 01/07/2025 22:41

Didimum · 01/07/2025 22:31

I didn’t say it doesn’t overlap. My above comment says it overlaps by 2hrs. There are 5.5 peak hours in a week day and 2 peak hours on a weekend day (9-12). That’s 31.5 peak hours a week and only 15hrs per week designed for the subscribed age group.

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You literally told me it 'avoided peak hours entirely' 🤣
You didn't acknowledge the overlap until it was pointed out to you.

BogRollBOGOF · 01/07/2025 22:43

I could understand a window like 3-4:30 after school; the nearby council gym puts on extra PTs for supervision of u18s. But that window doesn't exclude other users, it's just a provision to allow them to go independently, rather than with a guardian which is required at other times.

It's a stupid rule and cuts out much of the time that women of working age are avaliable.

RavenLaw · 01/07/2025 22:45

Pluvia · 01/07/2025 21:21

Come on: all those examples would fall under the fair and proportionate guidelines: the Brownies could argue the importance of their limited age range on the grounds of child development/ age appropriate activities and safeguarding. Saga Holiday's USP is holidays for perks over 50 but younger family members or partners are allowed. The age at which you can take your pension is set by government/ law.

But none of those started offering access to all women between certain times and then changed the contract to make it impossibly for a woman over 25 to attend the gym if she works standard working hours and can't get there in her lunch hour. It's a denial of service on the grounds of ageism.

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Tell that to the WASPI women.

Would you have the same problem with a mixed sex gym that started offering women only sessions and therefore changed the contract? Or a swimming pool that began offering disability only sessions? As long as they can identify a legitimate aim, and can argue it's a proportionate means, then this is legal. Whether it is a terrible idea and will destroy their business is a totally separate issue.

Thatsrhesummeroverthen · 01/07/2025 22:48

FishChipsAndVinegarPlease · 01/07/2025 22:37

How many 12 year olds are using a paid for gym?!

There are lots of young person sessions at local gym (council owned) straight after school is a particularly popular time. Can join from secondary age up.

scoobysnaxx · 01/07/2025 22:50

WTAF.
id be cancelling straight away.absolutely ridiculous rule!!!
they’ll loose a lot of customers

Theyreeatingthedogs · 01/07/2025 22:50

Didimum · 01/07/2025 22:13

They can, it just has to be outlined clearly in the terms and conditions of the contract. It’s called a variation clause.

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They need to give reasonable notice and advise that customer can cancel. They haven't done this.