Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign and ukactive have released new guidance to help fitness and leisure facilities create safer spaces for women and girls to be active.
The latest initiative from This Girl Can has put the spotlight on the ‘Enjoyment Gap’. A significant proportion of women reported safety concerns in its 2022 survey when exercising in certain settings. This in turn contributes to an overall trend of women reportedly enjoying exercise less than men.
Sport England’s Active Lives Survey shows gyms and leisure centres play an essential role in supporting women to be active. However, the survey also found that, overall, women’s activity levels remain lower than men’s.
Guidance and Resources
The new guidance aims to address safety concerns women experience while getting active. It provides practical steps for facilities to help create an environment where women and girls can feel safer and more confident being active.
The guidance covers a range of practical advice, including the following areas for fitness and leisure facilities to help women feel safer and more confident:
- Checklists on what a code of conduct should include.
- Advice on how to communicate existing policies, codes of conduct and reporting procedures to members about sexual harassment.
- Details on what reporting processes should include and how to make sure they are easily accessible, so all members know how to report harassment and what to expect from the process.