“I stay active because I enjoy it” is an uncontroversial statement. And yet, in research commissioned by Sport England, 2.4 million fewer women than men strongly agreed with it. On second thoughts, I'm not surprised.
At 27, I've participated in many sports over the years, from the trenches of P.E. lessons as a teenager to my first job after university as a children's gymnastics teacher. I've also managed to squeeze in four new gym memberships (each as neglected as the last), an ill-fated attempt to join a women's rugby club, as well as cycling to work, which ended in humiliation after a catcaller yelled from his van, “Nice bottom!” as he overtook me.
My attempts to get active have been marred by diet culture (bleurgh), lack of community, and fears for my safety. I'm far from alone; Sport England has launched a campaign, This Girl Can With You, to break down such barriers that deter women from exercising for the sheer love of it.
Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back.
To tackle the “enjoyment gap,” This Girl Can will support organisations across the health and fitness sector to develop solutions in response to four action areas:
Social: Activities should help women feel part of a community.
Suitable: Activities must meet women’s needs.
Self-affirming: Activities must help women feel confident.
Safe: Women must feel physically and emotionally safe when taking part in activities.
“The exercise enjoyment gap is yet another inequality between women and men,” said Kate Dale, This Girl Can's director of marketing.
“It can be too easy to accept things as the way they are; to not challenge the status quo. That’s not what This Girl Can is about. We exist to get women active – and that means we’re here to shout about the enjoyment gap. Women deserve to get active as much as men; we want all women to benefit from the physical, mental and social rewards of an active life.”
The research also showed that women in lower-socio economic groups are 17.3% less likely to enjoy exercise compared to men, while disabled women were 22% less likely, and the gap sat at 11.8% for women with one child in their household. Across every demographic, including ethnicity, women were less likely to enjoy exercise than their male counterparts.
This is why I avoided exercise for years. It was easier to be the fat person society thought I was.
GLAMOUR spoke to Tasha Thompson, founder of Black Girls Do Run UK, an organisation that is already doing incredible work to close the enjoyment gap.
“I have always had a fairly good relationship with exercise,” Tasha explains. "I loved P.E. lessons at school, but once I left secondary school didn’t do much for a couple of years.
"A trip to the GP, who asked how many times per week I was exercising and advised it should be at least three times per week, as well as seeing family members develop diabetes and hypertension, was the motivation for me to join my local gym. My favourite piece of cardio gym equipment was the treadmill, so one day, I decided to try running outside, and I loved it.
“I ran my first race in 1999 and have not stopped running and racing since then. I created Black Girls Do Run UK in 2019 to encourage running amongst non-elite athletes because when I attended races, I didn’t see many black women, sometimes none at all.”
While a minority of people don't understand the need for a running club solely for Black women, Tasha highlights the need for safe spaces for Black women to feel safe and, ultimately, enjoy their workout:
“We needed a safe and self-affirming space to come together, to feel connected, to feel confident and empowered that running is a space for Black women too.”
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
