A Mismatch Between Statistics
When we think of fitness in today's society, we often imagine equal opportunity, women and men working out next to each other, girls doing pull-ups, and guys joining yoga. But is it as equal as we believe? And what about the industry -how is it structured?
As you'll learn in this article, there's a mismatch between statistics regarding men and women in the fitness space and industry representation. We demonstrate the blocks that keep women from receiving equal opportunity, shocking statistics, and why Fitnessa is standing up for female fitness equity.
A Female Industry Led by Men
Women want to exercise and get strong. In fact, women make up the vast majority of gym memberships in the US. However, men still outrank women in being physically active, and the disproportions between men and women at the gym can be as high as 90/10.
Women also make up the majority of fitness instructors in the US. And looking at the most prominent personal trainer organizations, the majority of certified are women. However, most of the working personal trainers in the industry are men.
If we look a little higher, women hold only a tiny fraction of the top jobs in the industry. We're talking about everything from chief executives, marketing directors and managers, and the already mentioned personal trainers. According to WIFA, 47 percent of men employed by a company in the fitness industry are in a leadership role. For women, that number is 11 percent less.
The Blocks For Women In Fitness
When asked, women cite that they aren't in the weight room because of a lack of knowledge, fear of judgment, and unwelcome attention from men.
On top of this, many women fear strength training will give them a "bulky" look. As a personal trainer and female health advocate, this fear creates a significant roadblock in fostering equality in the fitness world, as it couldn't be further away from the truth. Strength training is the most efficient way to achieve a lean and toned look, fight body fat, and improve overall health.
As for the personal trainer industry, there's an unfortunate gender preference among clients and people in charge, which seems to be of such importance that it can far outweigh the qualifications and experience of the trainer. For example, while women are typically associated with a nurturing, soft, and compassionate energy, men are associated with a firm, leader-oriented, and to-the-point approach, which are often more desirable traits in a result-driven setting like fitness.
This preference, however, is tied to stereotypes that female trainers often face and have to overcome in a man-led society and industry.
So What Are Women Missing Out On?
Firstly, it's the ability to develop lean muscle tissue, which in turn helps boost metabolism, fight body fat, and improve overall health and fitness. These are significant health benefits that everyone should activate.
Secondly is the confidence boost. When consistently getting out of our comfort zone, pushing limits, and overcoming obstacles, we build tolerance towards all these things. It makes us feel empowered, secure, and bright. And we can apply this boost to other aspects of life, such as careers, relationships, and stress management.
Female Equity - As Important As It Is Empowering
By bringing awareness to inequality in the industry, we can get more extensive engagement from the people that dominate the power and help bring more women to the top.
At Fitnessa, we're proud to break stereotypes, claim our position in the industry, spread knowledge about strength training, and empower all women to confidently step into the weight room and become our strongest selves. It's just as important as empowering, and it rewards not only the women we work with but the entire industry and women across the board.
We're fighting for female fitness equity so women can access the resources they need to become strong, healthy, and happy.