Throughout February, the Students’ Union and Active Lifestyle & Sport are piloting a ‘Women’s Only’ gym access programme.
Why is the Women’s Only Gym Hours programme being implemented?
The programme is being implemented in response to the results of a survey conducted in Term One by Olivia Davies, VP Wellbeing and Diversity, and the Students’ Union Voice team. This survey demonstrated that there was a student community need to consider implementing a women’s only session in the fitness gym.
The survey results were compared to gym usage data, which shows that women do not use the campus gym as much as men. We hope that this opportunity will encourage more women to participate in gym activity, in a space that feels more comfortable.
Every Friday morning in February from 9-11am, the gym at the Sports Centre on our Egham campus will be only be accessible to individuals who identify as women.
This opportunity is being supplemented by a new Women’s Learn 2 Lift class, which takes place on Tuesdays 5pm to 6pm. Women’s Learn 2 Lift teaches you the basics of lifting weights, including technique and routines. The class aims to provide you the confidence to be able to exercise in the gym. Booking for this session is required on the Royal Holloway Sport app.
The survey demonstrated that 48% of respondents are comfortable with male ALS staff working the gym floor/classes, with 28% saying they are ‘unsure’. Due to the composition of the ALS staff team, unfortunately we cannot guarantee a female member of staff will be working.
Who is able to participate?
Individuals can self-define.
“When we refer to women, we include trans women and non-binary people who are comfortable in a women-centred community” – WHEN (Women’s Higher Education Network.
How do I provide feedback on the programme?
We collectively hope that this session will have good attendance so that we can implement the women’s only opportunities in the gym on a permanent basis.