Do we need a women-only bit in the gym or women only evenings?

[Lehman]

My brother has been complaining because he went to his local gym and found that he couldn't use it on Tuesday evening as it was women only. My brother is quite over weight but has been doing really well with diet and exercise. The response he got when he complained about the women only thing was that women don't like all the men ogling them in the gym and so must have seperate times / areas. is this true? I confess I am not in the gym much but do we really need special women only times? Are women such delicate flowers?

Men only times, children - why would you think these are needed? Other than just a direct: "women have X so men have to have X too, or it's not fair". Did you read the posts where women who want women only time or space explain why that is?

I'm a qualified fitness professional, with many years of experience of lifting, but it's astonishing how often some over-proteined dudebro in the free weights section will take it upon himself to give me some input on whatever I'm doing - and quite often they're wrong - and even if they were right, they have no idea what my goals and parameters are.

I really mourn my former women only gym in the middle east where all the conversations I had when I was flinging round stupidly heavy shit was from either knowledgable women who wanted to talk about lifting (without ever feeling the need to correct or school me) or from beginners who wanted to improve their form. Always delighted to talk to both.

So yes, I'm totally a fan of women only time because so many women feel intimidated out of exercising, or made to feel it's not for them, or it's not feminine to sweat, or they get hassled or leered at.

For children I will repost what I said earlier

(in response to) The behaviour of some men in gyms and the sad fact that women in the UK seem more body conscious than in many if not all Western European countries means that women only sessions are something I can understand and have no objection to.

I think rather than moaning about inequality, men should actually 1. Accept this and 2. Help women to do something about it, or at least support them and understand their difficulties

There are a lot of teenage girls who use the gym and wouldn't if it were mixed. I wouldn't use it if it were mixed.

It's lovely to be in a women only space. Everyone just gets on with their shit and ignores each other. So many people in a small space and no need to speak because everyone is considerate of those around them, takes only the space they need to take up and takes care not to get in someone else's way.

It's lovely to be in a women only space. Everyone just gets on with their shit and ignores each other. So many people in a small space and no need to speak because everyone is considerate of those around them, takes only the space they need to take up and takes care not to get in someone else's way.
That's absolutely not my experience of women's only gym sessions/classes. There's still the hierarchy of the fit vs the not fit, the regulars who want to stand in "their" place in the class despite arriving after you, the women that don't observe the rules of lane swimming...

I don't do classes or swim. I hate swimming in chlorinated water and was almost tempted to start doing a (mixed) class when I had the misfortune of seeing one group waiting outside a room as the previous session had overrun. Four or five 40 something blokes who obviously knew each other peacocking for the benefit of 16 and 17 year old girls who were in 'be polite to friend's parents mode'. It made me feel queasy.

DH swims and has seen an actual fight over lack of lane discipline. With slapping. In the medium lane.

I can well believe that cherry. I bloody hate other people in lanes. It gives me the rage like almost nothing else.

Don't understand it personally. Women need to get over themselves and realise men are far more interested at ogling themselves in the gym mirrors than other women who invariably look rough, all sweaty and red faced.

If a man is behaving dodgily then he needs to be tackled rather than letting men think that behaviour is fine which I think having women only sessions does.

I used to use the women only gym session to use the weights room without unsolicited help from male gym goers.

Oh my god, YES.

I also like being able to squat without catching men staring at my arse in the mirror. Unfortunately my gym doesn't do any women-only sessions.

The gym I used as a teenager did women-only nights and I felt less self-conscious and the atmosphere was different - women were chatting to each other in between sets or circuits. It also took some of the anxiety away because my friends would brag about how many men chatted them up and my number was always zero - obviously never stopping to think about why a grown man was hitting on a 14/15 year old

A lot of it is conditioning that leads to girls dropping out of sport and exercise as young teens because they are embarrassed to be seen sweaty and red faced.

Women are judged on their appearance. Women exercising in public also get appearance/sex based abuse. I had abuse shouted at me twice after 3 runs in public. I'm old, a 12-14 and pretty fit from running 5km a day on the treadmill at the gym.

I also walk my dogs which has been an eye opener in terms of watching the attitudes of some men to women runners. If you're fast you've run past before you've even heard the abuse. If you've just started running you notice other runners and look at their technique for tips. I've had the joy of watching a gang of outdoor workers on a smoking break ogle a woman and then call after her (with gestures) as she passed them. She was running with a pushchair. I've seen a normal looking bloke practically walk into a lamppost leering at the ass of a woman who had run past. The men calling out from cars and vans are too numerous to count.

I don't need to understand it. If there is a demand, and a gym wishes to provide it it's none of my business.

I pay for a gym to be able to use it at my convenience, if that changes I'll switch gyms. In the end though I imagine there is room in the market for both.

Fair enough, reduced fees it is then.😊👍

I would say no actually! Someone said before, if men are bothering women chuck them out. So no. It's unnecessary segregation.

PurpleDaisies, apparently one of the people swims diagonally across the lane with her eyes shut and then accuses other people of bumping into her and gets verbally abusive. DH had a run in with her in the past and had avoided her from then on. On this particular day she tried it with the wrong person. According to DH the lifeguard was about 14 and was trying timid 'excuse me's while the two women went at it.

I call that sort of swimmer the "wandering jellyfish" cherry. I have one in my pool. They have no discernible pattern to their movements so you can't get past them. I did speak sharply to her once but I forgot I was wearing ear plugs so I've no idea what she said back. She has been better since.

We need women only spaces because of men's behaviour .

Men who object to the consequences of other men's behaviour woudl be better to attack the cause rather than the effect .

Lost of men whinge NAMALT but do nothing to help fix the problem by changing the culture .

They look the other way when women and girls are harassed in the street. The laugh when a friend makes a hateful comment. They ignore rather than challenge inappropriate behaviour in their families .

My gym also has sessions where the pool is reserved for the over 60s. Do you want a reduction for those too, Stones?

I agree Kristina - women's only sessions is a way of pandering to the behaviour. It's the thin end of the wedge towards women's only train carriages etc through which women will be expected to change their behaviour and select women only spaces otherwise they are 'asking for it'. I mean a woman at the gym who complains about a man ogling could be told 'well you should go to the women's only session'.

Change the behaviour instead. There's loads of signs in my gym about good manners, but not one that says - 'men, please don't stare at women as they work out'.

I can also well believe swimming lane shenanigans. My friend, who conceived after an ectopic pregnancy and was therefore extremely anxious for 9 months, was swimming when she was 34 weeks pregnant and a man overtook her in a lane and kicked her in the belly. It was an accident of course but he was far too close to her and being very inconsiderate

Women need to get over themselves and realise men are far more interested at ogling themselves in the gym mirrors than other women who invariably look rough, all sweaty and red faced

Yeah ladies, don't you realise you shoudl always look gorgeous for the delight of the men using the gym ? How dare you get sweaty and red faced?

Mine has sessions for people recovering from heart issues and requires GP referral to attend. That's discrimination!

Also this with bells on:

Men who object to the consequences of other men's behaviour woudl be better to attack the cause rather than the effect

Lost of men whinge NAMALT but do nothing to help fix the problem by changing the culture

They look the other way when women and girls are harassed in the street. The laugh when a friend makes a hateful comment. They ignore rather than challenge inappropriate behaviour in their families

Exactly, but no they sulk instead that they don't get a night too or look for opportunities to fork out less

1 in 4 women will be victims of domestic violence.

1 in 10 women will be sexually assaulted by a man

90% of sexual violence is men on women

There is adequate reason for women to feel intimidated by men

But yeah the wimmin and their silly fears need to get over themselves and stop being so goddamn sweaty

I can't figure out if some people are being obtuse or if they're actually very, very stupid

If it's a council leisure centre then they have a duty to make everyone feel welcome - if that means a few women only sessions, the odd men only one, some over 55s and under 25s events, then so be it.

I sometimes went to the women-only session at my old pool but it was more crowded than other slots, so usually went late at night. Current pool has a nightmare timetable as its constantly kicking you out for a club, more lessons, aqua fit, whatever - a single sex session is neither here nor there.

If there are women who only go to women only sessions, then they are paying disproportionately highly for their membership, subsidising those who go at all other times bar one two hour slot.