"Women Only" Hour At Gym Leads To Lawsuit

[crashhelmet]

Peter Lloyd of is suing his local gym for sexual discrimination

From The Daily Mail

Kentish Town Sports Centre in north London bans all men from their gym for a little over an hour a day to be for use by women only. They say they do it because some women are uncomfortable exercising around men for various reasons.

While it might be true, it's still sexist and still discrimination. The writer offered three different ways to compromise

1. Maintain a women’s hour but introduce a men's alternative for fairness
2. Keep women’s hour (and only women’s hour) but annually charge men less
3. Scrap single-gender sessions altogether.

The gym denied all three.

The point he makes that really hits home in this is:

...a group of agenda-driven feminists say a minority of women 'feel' bad about their bodies. And because heterosexual men are naturally attracted to women, their very existence makes it worse, so they should be banned.

He then goes on to point out that not all men in the gym are heterosexual and some of the women just may be lesbian.

The gym I goto has a "women only" area with a handful of machines and weights for those that are uncomfortable being around others. It's separated from the main workout area and accessible only through the women's locker room. They have no other restrictions on when and who can use what in the rest of the facilities. They have no "men only" area and I would assume it's due to the lack of demand.

I side with Mr. Lloyd here. First and foremost, this is discrimination. It's sexist. The gym's refusal to compromise proves it. There's no getting around it.

Secondly, people goto the gym when they have the availability. You have to make time for it in midst of all of your other responsibilities. Some people squeeze it in before work, some after. Some go late at night when they're done with everything else for the day. But just like traffic on a freeway, there are times when it's jam packed and you're stuck in "rush hour." You have to wait for machines and/or weights to use. You have to completely alter your routine because there are too many people fighting for the same thing. When you cut an hour out of the day for a particular gender, you increase the number of people of that gender fighting for items during other hours. This is, of course, assuming that your availability even allows you to go outside of that hour they're banning you from.

[Andara Bledin]

Have to agree on this being the exact wrong way to do it.

I think #1 would have been the best option: Have the "women's hour" but also have a "men's hour." Actually, I like the idea of having small restricted areas only reachable from the respective locker rooms even better.

Plus, the whole "heterosexual men are attracted to women" thing is just a terrible statement.

[MadMike]

I wonder what would happen if the gym decided to have a "whites only" hour, on the grounds that some white people are uncomfortable around black people?

[Ladeeda]

It'd make more sense to establish sexual harassment rules and consequences for that, then enforce them to the best of the companies ability.

And for some people to just get over themselves. A gym is for exercising. Odds are, no one cares how you look. And if you go expecting to be checked out and/or judged, you'll feel eyes regardless of whether it's happening or not.

Also, women are more likely to be judged and snickered at by other women. So turning it into an episode of Real Housewives is just asking for trouble.

[bara]

I cant speak for everyone, but when I go to the gym I do not go there to look at women. I go there for myself.

If I see someone who is really out of shape, my first thought is 'good for them'. Cause no matter how slow you go you are still lapping everyone on the couch.

[Aethian]

A gym I used to go to had two locations, location 1 was men only and location 2 was women only.

They only had room for the one locker room because they were one of the few that offered; pool, spa, dry heat, and wet heat areas.

People complained.

So they took a poll of all the members, looked into when they had the greatest numbers and made the gyms rotate. At location 1 it was men only on Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sunday. The other days were women only. Remember only one locker room.

At location 2 it was the opposite with women getting the majority of the days.

People complained.

So they took polls and decided to take out the spa, heat rooms, and pool to have two small locker rooms.

People complained.

They made one gym the water area with double locker rooms and hardly any equipment.

People complained.

So after being a fixture in the communities the management ran ads saying the above and then said since no one was happy they were closing their doors at both locations.

Guess what...people complained.


So ya know what if Curves can be a women's only gym then why not let a gym do a women's only hour? If they are open from 7 to 9 that's 14 hours. Over the course of the week if they are 7 days that's 98 hours and your telling me that some women who feel self conscious around guys can't have 7 fricken hours? If we're trying to get some of these self conscious people into the gyms and this is what is needed then do it. Don't make it worse and scare them away completely to where they may not work out at all.

[BlaqueKatt]

So ya know what if Curves can be a women's only gym then why not let a gym do a women's only hour? If they are open from 7 to 9 that's 14 hours. Over the course of the week if they are 7 days that's 98 hours and your telling me that some women who feel self conscious around guys can't have 7 fricken hours? If we're trying to get some of these self conscious people into the gyms and this is what is needed then do it. Don't make it worse and scare them away completely to where they may not work out at all.

I think you missed part of the OP that addresses why 7 hours out of 98(if that's accurate) IS a big deal for some people.

Secondly, people goto the gym when they have the availability. You have to make time for it in midst of all of your other responsibilities. Some people squeeze it in before work, some after. Some go late at night when they're done with everything else for the day. But just like traffic on a freeway, there are times when it's jam packed and you're stuck in "rush hour." You have to wait for machines and/or weights to use. You have to completely alter your routine because there are too many people fighting for the same thing. When you cut an hour out of the day for a particular gender, you increase the number of people of that gender fighting for items during other hours. This is, of course, assuming that your availability even allows you to go outside of that hour they're banning you from.

I have severe social anxiety, do I demand my gym make everyone leave just for me? Nope it's my issue, and I have to manage it. Why don't the self-conscious, instead of blaming others for their issues(has the word self right in it), and demanding special treatment based on a flawed premise, I don't know, do what I do and ask when it's least crowded and not force others to cater to my issues. I was self conscious when I started going to the gym, I got over it, most people aren't going to the gym to "check people out", unless you're going to a gym in tv/movie stereotype land. It just doesn't really happen. especially as most gyms have equipment with televisions, I'm actually one of the only ones NOT watching tv while I'm working out. I came to work out, not socialize or people watch, which is what 99.9% of gym goers are there for, TO WORK OUT, your average gym goer is sweaty, disheveled, tired, out of breath and not trying to impress anyone. Get over yourself if you seriously think anyone is doing more than glancing at you, complain to the gym management, and if you have enough time to notice something like that, you obviously aren't that into your workout. If you're worried they may be talking about you afterwards, well you can't control other people, and if that thought upsets you, you best not ever interact with other humans. And if insecurity is preventing you from improving your health, and that's the only excuse you have for not taking care of yourself, your health is pretty low on your priority list, and it's likely another excuse will take it's place with haste.

[Gravekeeper]

Its the unwillingness to compromise that's going to really sink their ass in court.

My question is what's going on in this gym the rest of the day that they needed women's hour? Maybe they should try addressing that instead. Maybe they could have "No Public Masturbation Day" 7 days a week instead. ;p

[fireheart17]

There's a gym near my house that has been there for YEARS. Only recently did they put in a women's only room.

The difference between the women's only room and the rest of the gym? The women's only room is set up similar to curves or similar and they hold women's circuit classes in there. That's IT. The room is otherwise rarely used. There aren't any machines in there that the rest of the gym doesn't have, so women are welcome to use the machines in the women's only room if they can't wait for a treadmill or other machine.

[BlaqueKatt]

My question is what's going on in this gym the rest of the day that they needed women's hour?

from the article:

In fact, only two weeks later, I was forced to complain when four teenage girls were wolf-whistling at boys in the weights area – jeering and laughing, while ranking them by size.

Maybe a "don't bother other people, and work out" policy. Though as I stated earlier, at most gyms it's pretty much a non-issue.

also this:

'A report by the Women Sport and Fitness Foundation showed that a significant proportion of women (26 per cent) “hate the way they look when they exercise”.

this takes it vanity, because no one "looks good" while exercising, save for "ridiculously photogenic guy", and I don't thing 26% is a "significant proportion"

[bara]

I like my gym because they have an extremely strict policy in regards to any sort of harassment. If you are standing around and staring at people there is an excellent chance an employee will approach you and ask if you need help. That just about always does the trick.

[Panacea]

So ya know what if Curves can be a women's only gym then why not let a gym do a women's only hour?

Here's the difference. Curves sells itself as a women's only gym. Other gyms don't, therefore are obligated to not discriminate.

A local gym I belong to (The Rush) has a women's only room. It's intended to be used by women who feel uncomfortable exercising in front of others (male or female); usually the gals who are just getting started. It doesn't get a lot of use.

I like my gym because they have an extremely strict policy in regards to any sort of harassment. If you are standing around and staring at people there is an excellent chance an employee will approach you and ask if you need help. That just about always does the trick.

Honestly, I've never seen that kind of behavior in gyms. Most of the people I've met there are happy to answer questions and be helpful, and I've never encountered anyone judgmental. I'm sure some are, but they keep it to themselves.

A lot of the discomfort is self inflicted.

[Titi]

While I agree on the lawsuit (they should have at the very least offered a men's only hour) I'm wondering if they went with this because of the beliefs in certain religious groups. I live in the states and love the women only times at the gyms but they are women only because we have a large Orthodox Jewish and large Muslim area. If they didn't have them, then the women would have to work out all covered up and that could cause problems with the machines (IE long flowing skirts pulled into stair climbers). They advertise them for the women that don't want to be gawked at by men, but in reality it is so that they can work out without dressing modestly as their religion calls for in public. They even have all female workers at the time.

[fireheart17]

. I live in the states and love the women only times at the gyms but they are women only because we have a large Orthodox Jewish and large Muslim area. If they didn't have them, then the women would have to work out all covered up and that could cause problems with the machines (IE long flowing skirts pulled into stair climbers).

Not sure if there's a rule against certain groups wearing pants or not, but most Muslim women I've seen who work out usually just wear long pants, a long-sleeved top and something to cover their hair.

There's even the "burqini" which basically resembles a wetsuit with a hood.

[SongsOfDragons]

It's very interesting to read points on this issue, as I've never seen it raised before; I exercise at home, so my general perception of a gym always includes 'X Hour', probably a perception that needed to be challenged, given the vitriolic I've seen on this thread.

I used to go to a public swimming pool when I was still at school, because Saturday morning was a couple of hours set aside for kids, complete with big inflatable obstacle course They had women's hours in the evenings, and senior hours, but I can't remember if they had men's hours. The attached gym also had Newbie hours, I remember being offered it.

Queries for people more involved in this than I: would guys actually take advantage of any newly-introduced men's hour for whatever reason? Also, there is a women-only gym in Winchester that I pass on the bus; how are they able to be so and not draw the same ire?