Not all women will feel self-conscious to exercise in front of men at the gym. However, it is clear that some women do, brought to light in a recent debate at McGill University in Montreal as to whether there should be women’s only gym hours. The answer to this, in my opinion, is simple. If there is demand for women’s only gym hours, they should be made available.
Women do not seek women’s only gym hours in order to prove their ‘right’ to do so, but for many justifiable reasons.
There is a huge pressure from society for women to look a certain way, whether that be super-model thin or toned and curvaceous. To achieve these body types (although it’s important not to forget that women don’t just exercise to look good but for fitness and enjoyment too) exercise is required, something which involves sweating and wobbling and being out of breath. Not glamorous, but inevitable and presented in the recent This Girl Can campaign which no doubt has had positive effects. Despite this campaign, some women may still feel they will be judged for going to the gym with bodies that don’t live up to the high standard set by society, and consequently might not go at all. If women’s only gym hours are the motivation for more women to get active, then surely they are a good thing?
It can’t be ignored that men are also under pressure to look a certain way, and may be intimidated by other men or women at the gym too, so it can seem unfair that women are given exclusive treatment. However, I am confident that if men felt the need for men’s only gym hours, they would ask for them, just as they have every right too. Perhaps the men who would prefer men’s only gym hours would feel ‘unmasculine’ by proposing them, as men are supposed to be the more athletic/sporty sex. This is why it’s so important to eliminate gender stereotypes of what constitutes masculine and feminine, so both genders can feel comfortable exercising, whether that means being separate from each other or being free to pursue sports, football/ballet etc. that are typically associated with certain genders.
There are also more practical reasons why some women may want gym hours reserved for only them. The beliefs of some religious groups mean that women are not allowed to show their faces or bodies in front of men, and as a result it can be difficult for women to exercise in comfort, or indeed at all. In fact, this is the reason McGill student Soumia Allalou came forward to ask for women’s only hours, as she herself found it uncomfortable exercising in front of her male peers. In many swimming pools, including the pool at McGill University, there are women’s only swimming hours for the same reason, as often pools do not permit women to wear clothing that covers their bodies in the water for hygiene reasons. If we can accept the need for women’s only swimming hours, we should be able to accept the need for women’s only gym hours as well.
Women’s only gym hours mean that there is a safe space for women to exercise, and with the knowledge that two million fewer women partake in exercise than men, and 75% of women aged 14-40 wish they did more, it is almost impossible to see how reserving a few hours per week for women (and men, if they want) as a negative. Even if women’s only gym hours motivate a handful of women to start exercising and be healthier, it is still better some than none.
Image source
http://www.ryersonian.ca/rac-rolls-out-women-only-gym-hours/
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyKveoidAPw