Women exercising in gyms face barriers including body image and harassment, study finds
Women exercising in gyms often feel judged for their appearance and performance, leading to a persistent sense of inadequacy, according to a new study.
Research conducted by UWE Bristol’s Dr Kat Schneider alongside an academic from a university in Ireland found that women face barriers including physical appearance and body image, gym attire, the physical gym environment, and interactions with others.
Despite an increase in gym memberships, women are less active than men and little is known about the barriers women face when navigating gym spaces. To fill this knowledge gap, Dr Schneider, a academic from the Centre for Appearance Research, and Dr Emma Cowley from the Technological University of the Shannon explored women’s body image and experiences exercising in gyms.
The results from an online survey of 279 women showed that women reported feeling judged for their appearance and performance as well as having to fight for space in the gym and to be taken seriously, while navigating harassment and unsolicited comments from men. Despite this, women showed signs of resistance toward gendered and appearance ideals permeating gym environments, and some experienced empowerment through skill acquisition, breaking gender norms, and exercising in supportive environments.
One key finding was women’s perceptions of gym attire as both a barrier and facilitator to exercise. Aligning with previous literature, women often chose attire based on comfort and functionality. However, their choices were also influenced by comparisons with others or fear of judgement for wearing non-branded attire or looking too “put together”. Many women also chose gym attire to hide perceived problem areas or avoid appearance concerns, including visible signs of sweating.
The authors of the study said: “In the gym, just like in other areas of life, women often feel stuck between being seen as ‘too much’ and ‘not enough’, dealing with judgement about how they look, how they perform, and even how much space they take up. Even though the pressure to be super thin is decreasing, the growing focus on being muscular and athletic is creating new challenges. It is pushing unrealistic standards that can negatively affect women’s body image and overall well-being.”
The full academic paper has been published in the open-access journal PLOS One.
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