Women’s only workout spaces: how do we feel about them?

[SoEasyToFallInLove]

The women’s only space at my gym was a big selling point for me and I enjoy using it. But it’s made me quite sad today that it seems to now be the default position that we must hide away and segregate ourselves instead of the behaviour of men being what changes.

I don’t mind the spaces, I use the one at my gym and love it. It just feels like a shame that instead of challenging behaviour they’re just leaving the men to get on with it.

Personally think that waiting for men, generally, to be less noisy, less dominating, less voyeuristic etc is pointless. Men, in general, are not going to change to the extent that the differences between the sexes no longer exist. Best to make specific accomodations for women: what works for, and suits, them in the sorts of circumstances in which they particularly matter.

I think you need to unpick why you love it.

When I first started going to the gym there was a ‘women’s hour’ and I really appreciated that while I was gaining confidence and experience.

As a general principle I would prefer effort to go into ensuring women are accepted into common spaces and men make way for them. I use a mixed gym and find it okay - I get more hassle just running in the park.

What I would also like is for there to be more equipment that is suitable for women beginners. I work with a female trainer and she is always lobbying for this. There is now one female barbell set (ie lighter and smaller - not pink!) and some dumbbells that fit better in smaller hands.

Because it’s a lot quieter than the other spaces, I’m overweight and a complete newbie to a lot of the weights based exercises. I find it’s full of women who seem less confident in the gym which is nice, because I feel like im not being judged!

I think they are needed unfortunately.

When I had a membership in a mixed gym I had several instances of men being aggressive towards me, making unwanted comments and invading my space.

Same issues when using swimming pools. I had everything from someone ''rubbing himself' on me while overtaking me and someone colliding with me on purpose. I have seen other women in the pool having similar issues and male lifeguards being very slow at intervening when women and girls are being bothered by men.

We should not have to do this but as long as men behave in this manner then it is good to have the option to have women only sessions.

This is what I feel is a shame though, by creating these spaces the companies are just facilitating bad behaviour

Perhaps they could be seeen as simply catering to the different styles, needs and requirements of women - rather than trying to make women fit a male model, or men fit a female model?

I don’t think this is what happens though? It tends to be the same machines, just in a closed off space

I used to go to a ladies only gym years ago before I moved house. I always felt comfortable there even though I was overweight. I certainly went more frequently.

I don't think the main reason women like these kinds of gym spaces are about assault. To some extent it might be about feeling vulnerable in their workout gear, but often it's more about not wanting the male approach to workouts to dominate the space, and for some feeling a lack of body confidence. (As someone who spends a lot of time in boxing gyms, I think male-dominated workout spaces can have a very vibe (and smell...) and while some women like that, a lot don't.)

I think we don't always talk about it, but not all discomfort between men and women is about violence. Some of it can be about sex and sexual attraction - or lack thereof. This is a real factor in male and female interactions, and in some spaces it can be felt more keenly. It's the same reason that some men and women treat the gym a place to check out the opposite sex and even "pick up". But some women really don't want that element when they are working out. It's annoying, distracting, or they are working out because they are unhappy with their body and don't want it to be under scrutiny, even in a discrete way.

I think this is a factor in a number of places we conventionally designate single-sex and saying it's mainly about violence misses an important part of the reasons for it. I don't know if it's because we want to pretend we don't "notice" other people sexually, or that we need to tell ourselves that can be completely turned off at will, or what.

A lot of the “bad behaviour” some posters have mentioned isn’t really something gyms can challenge. Gyms can challenge (and, from experience, do swiftly challenge) unacceptable behaviour in the form of staring, harassment, comments etc. They can’t challenge “that woman over there thinks you’re grunting too loudly when you lift” or “this woman is uncomfortable being around men in her gym clothes” or “this woman isn’t confident enough to ask you if she can share your rack and expects you to know that and offer it to her.”

I wonder if the view of “hogging” is more of a mismatch of expectations and women’s social conditioning about what they perceive to be polite, rather than an actual issue with men not making space. When I do my sets, I take a rack and use it for my full session, 35-40 minutes. That’s fine in gym etiquette, somebody who has gotten to a rack first isn’t required to cut their planned session short so they can give it to somebody else. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask or be asked if you can share a rack with somebody else so they do their sets whilst you’re doing your rests, but if you don’t want to do this then accusing the people you haven’t asked of “hogging” is unreasonable.

Previous gyms had them but I'm now a member of a small independent gym. It's not a 'muscle Mary' type of place, most people are there to train seriously and mind their own business, and any hassling of women would not be tolerated. I don't feel the need for a single sex workout space - I can appreciate other women might though, but there isn't space for it at this place.

Performative dropping of weights seems to happen from both sexes, makes me jump!

Exactly!

And that is one of the reasons that single sex schools ( and spaces generally) can work really well for girls; it just removes that level of distraction and discomfort and the inevitable 'otherness' of male people ( with the feeling of being scrutinised that can go with it).

Sport in single sex girls schools tend to be far stronger too.....when it is focused purely on what girls like and enjoy and what best suits their strengths.

A bit off topic, but I enjoyed watching the recent Freddie Flintoff programme 'Field of Dreams' in which Flintoff sets up cricket teams in deprived areas in which cricket is not usually seen as being " for us". In the latest series he also sets up a girls' cricket team in Blackpool.

He noticed just how differently the girls interacted and responded to teaching and to each other compared to the boys; and it was also evident that many/most girls are put off cricket by the hardness of the ball. It hurts. The girls loved playing with a sof tball.....but there were tears and a reluctance to suffer hurt when it came to actual games with a hard ball.

I used to love hockey, and that is , of course, played with a hard ball, but the ball is mainly moved around at below knee level ( and you wear shin pads); but when I moved to another school where they played Lacrosse instead.....it not only disappointed me, but scared me. Hard balls flying around at chest and head level was not my idea of fun.

I’d love a women-only gym, especially one with a swimming pool. I’ve encountered so many creepy men perving at women and girls in pools.

Glad they exist for the women who want/need them. Anything that gets more women active the better.
Not for me though. An argument that is used to advocate for women's sport spaces is that it is more motivating/enjoyable to exercise with people of similar ability. I agree - but I'm sporty and competitive and can hold my own with the guys, so usually much prefer mixed spaces. Usually have better kit too.

You are looking at this the wrong way, why do you see it as hiding. There should be single sex (for both sexes) and mixed sex facilities.

It doesn't really matter why, it could be people just prefer to be any environment. You don't need to see it as hiding. Men smell worse, that is reason enough to want a separate space. Women may use the gym in a way that men don't prefer, that should be reason enough for them to be able to have their own spaces.

There used to be a gym near me which was exclusively female. There is a gym in my town that I am told is effectively all male (music and ambiance driving women away).

This doesn't need to be a conflict, just catering to different people.