Male dominance in gyms and its effect on women

According to an observation study done at Bryant University by Colby Norris, “it was
found that there were four times more men than women in the weight areas of gyms” (Norris).
According to Dworkin, “at any given time there may be a 90/10% or 80/20% gender split in the
weight room” (Dworkin, 2003). In terms of the use of cardio equipment and gyms with cardio
rooms, “women tend to outnumber men in the cardiovascular room, but there are still
proportionally more males in the aerobic training room than there are women in the weight room
(Dworkin, 2003). Fitness and bodybuilding were originally marketed to the male community.
This is likely due to the old school of thought that women who worked were manly or lacked
femininity. Throughout history, gyms have been viewed as masculine institutions (Craig &
Liberti, 2007) hence why the male to female ratio is wildly disproportionate. Today, they remain
dominated by men. According to Norris, “women cite a lack of knowledge, a fear of judgement,
and unwelcome attention from men as causes of discomfort in a gym environment” and more
specifically prevents women from using the weight room’(Norris).
The Glamour article, “Is a Gender Gap at the Gym Keeping Women from Working Out?”
shared a great story about how women can inspire other women. Growing up, Sayeeda
Chowdhury, said, “one day I hoped I could find the courage to go to the cardio room one day but
never imagined going into the weight room filled with testosterone and people staring,”. Despite
how she felt she continued to admire strong female athletes. One day, she watched a powerlifting
video posted by a woman in her medical school class and proceeded to comment “Goals,”.
Because of that comment, the woman reached out to her and invited her to come to the gym to
learn to lift. Chowdhury accepted the invitation, and the rest is history. She continued to train to
be like her friend whom she once idolized. She noticed increases in her confidence and strength
and she was hooked. She said, “I stopped caring about who was watching me,” (Henderson).
Had it not been for the woman in her medical class reaching out to her and teaching her how to
lift to overcome the intimidation factor of the gym environment, she would have never
discovered her passion for lifting and the positive health benefits that ensued.
Sayeeda Chowdhury, a female powerlifter, felt a level of intimidation when she first
began going to a gym. She felt self-conscious being one of the only females in a “bro-y weight
room” where it felt like everyone was judging you. It was not until another female in her medical
school class invited her to the gym that she began to feel more comfortable and acclimated to the
gym environment. Researchers argue that this intimidation factor extends further and that
“experiences like this contribute to a gender gap in physical activity levels that harms women's
health” (Henderson). According to Henderson, “women are less likely than men to get enough
exercise: 57 percent of men ages 18 and over meet recommended aerobic activity levels, versus
49 percent of women, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. When it comes to
the number of people who meet guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity,
the gap widens”(Henderson).
The most important takeaway from this paper is that women are less likely to workout
then men and at times avoid working out altogether due to circumstances that are out of their
control. This drastically affects women’s long-term health. It is because of the statistics stated
above that I am so passionate about inspiring and educating young females to start weight
training. I strongly believe that like Chowdhury and the woman she idolized, I could be that
person for so many young girls. Getting more females in the weight room will help fight back
against gyms being historically male dominated institutions, increase female presence in the
weight room, even out the gender divide, and break down the stereotype that women can’t lift
and engage in strength training exercises like men.
 Works Cited

Craig, M.L. & Liberti, R. (2007). “’Cause that’s what girls do” the making of a feminized gym.

Gender and Society. Dworkin, Shari L. 2001. “Holding back”: Negotiating a glass ceiling on
women's muscular strength. Sociological Perspectives, 44 (3): 333-50.

Henderson, Garnet, et al. “Is a Gender Gap at the Gym Keeping Women From Working Out?”
Glamour, 5 Mar. 2019,
www.glamour.com/story/a-gender-gap-at-the-gym-is-keeping-women-
from-working -out.

Norris, Colby. Gender Discrepancy in the Weight Room. 2019. Bryant University, Honors
Thesis. Gender Discrepancy in the Weight Room (bryant.edu)