why we should address sexual harassment in gyms Pt. 2
How would you feel if your mother, sister, or friend was sexually harassed while trying to work out? You would be infuriated. When you're in the gym you are there to workout, nothing more. There should be no reason for men to physically touch a woman at the gym, take pictures, or even make comments about what she might be wearing. Two years ago, I was sexually harassed while at the gym. I was squatting I looked behind me and a man had his android phone pointed directly at me. I was frozen in shock. What was even worse was the people around me didn't say a word to him, or even notice what he was doing. When I reported this my gym didn't care, they allowed this man to still continue to work out there. He was given a warning. How enraging! Change needs to happen, and these men need to face some type of pf punishment for their heinous behavior.
The numbers aren't lying
On the website Happiful, an article titled "2 in 5 women avoid the gym due to harassment and intimidation" tells readers how many women avoid the gym and how they were sexually harassed. Exercise is a key component to being physically and mentally healthy. How can women get this done when a survey was done of more than 1,000 gym-goers and they found that every six in ten women have been sexually harassed at least once. Along with avoiding the gym altogether, many will choose to go with a friend 45% and 43% will go with their partner to feel safer. Some will try to feel safer by working out in different areas of the gym, more secluded.
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| woman at the gym. |
What are the numbers?
These are the numbers done from Happiful on how men made women feel uncomfortable/unsafe in the gym.
The Victims Stories
I was sexually harassed roughly two years ago at Planet Fitness. this was a gym I attended four to five times a week. One night I went a little later at night due to having work late. I was squatting and when I looked behind me, I saw a bald-headed man, with a grey long sleeve shirt on that looked as if it was suffocating him, and black jogger sweatpants that were entirely too tight as well. He had his black android phone pointed directly at my rear end. I was frozen, shocked in fear. I didn't know what to do, how to react. When I reported it, nothing was done, when it was happening no one said anything. That seems to be the common characteristic, doesn't it? Victim's stories are effective because the ethical appeal will be trustworthy and directly from the source. An anonymous gym member said, "a member came up behind me and said something really inappropriate about my rear end" she also said " This wasn’t the first time this member had said something inappropriate to me. But it was the first time I had the guts to report it. I was new to the gym and not as confident as I am now. If it wasn’t for my coach at the time, I probably wouldn’t have pushed forward." Encouraging victims and others to report what is happening can possibly save a womans life from worse things happening.
Why You Should Report These Incidents
If these women being harassed were close to you, how would you feel? Picture this, your mother, sister, friend, etc. are at the gym and a man comes up to them making inappropriate comments about what they're wearing. Maybe the man is even following them around the gym. How would you feel? Enraged right? The gym is not tinder, it's a place for people to relieve stress. Report sexual harassment if it's towards you, or towards others. This can help to improve gym policies, help these women before something worse can happen, and potentially get the harasser kicked out of the gym. Speak up and be aware of your surroundings, for your sake and for others!
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