When it comes to women’s physical activity barriers, the numbers are more jaw-dropping than a last-second hole-in-one: only one in 10 women from lower-income backgrounds feel they truly belong in sports or fitness.
New research from This Girl Can offers a sobering look at the deep-seated hurdles—exclusion, affordability woes, and a glaring lack of tailored support—that keep so many women from lacing up their sneakers in the first place.
Released on Wednesday, 26 February 2025, the study highlights how women on lower incomes from underrepresented groups—such as Black women, Asian Muslim women, pregnant women, new mothers, and older women—face even steeper climbs.
It’s not just about missing a class or two; many feel so unwelcome they’ve shed tears over it or never gone back.
A sorry state indeed, but not exactly shocking when half of these women say gyms don’t feel like home, and nearly the same number say they’re also put off by sports clubs.
Now, after marking its 10th anniversary, This Girl Can is sparking a new campaign: “Belonging Starts With Inclusion.”
The mission? To shake things up and ensure that all women, from all walks of life, can confidently step into their chosen workout space.
Their solutions are refreshingly straight to the point: more women-only sessions, more welcoming environments, and more low-impact classes that won’t leave folks feeling like they’ve just climbed Everest.
To drive the message home, This Girl Can turned the streets of Birmingham into an outdoor gallery. A massive floor mural features three women—Tamiah (23), Maria (24), and Christine (63)—encircled by hundreds of real quotes exposing the hurdles that keep women sidelined. It’s an artful reminder that for many, these barriers are real, persistent, and downright infuriating.
So what exactly does the research show? For starters, two in five women on lower incomes have felt pushed away by physical activity, and one in six have felt so unwelcome they’ve given up entirely.
Over half simply don’t believe they belong in gyms, while more than 40% feel similarly about sports clubs. Even outdoor spaces like parks can be less than inviting—one in six reported feeling unsafe or stared at, and one in five endured inappropriate comments.
It’s no wonder so many women struggle to stick with any routine when they’re juggling concerns about safety, cost, or feeling judged at every turn.
When asked what would help, these women were crystal clear: more women-only activities, staff who understand their unique needs, and classes with a gentler touch.
Delving into specific demographics only reinforces the theme. Almost half of Asian Muslim women see women-only sessions as a must.
Some Black women emphasise the value of classes featuring music from their culture, and older women call for gentle, low-impact sessions suited to their pace.
All of these insights are brought to vivid life on the Birmingham mural. Maria, a Muslim woman, feels the sting of limited and pricey women-only spaces.
Meanwhile, Christine, at 63, hasn’t found a fitness activity that matches her life stage. Each story underscores the reality that “some barriers are too big to tackle alone,” which just so happens to be the fitting title of the mural by artist Paris Anthony-Walker.
Kate Dale, Director of Marketing at Sport England and This Girl Can, put it bluntly: “These findings are shocking but, unfortunately, not unexpected. We keep hearing about women who feel they simply don’t belong, and the statistics back that up.”
Launched in 2015 by Sport England with funding from The National Lottery, This Girl Can has spent the past decade encouraging women of all shapes, sizes, and abilities to embrace activity on their own terms.
Yet the fresh data shows there’s still a mountain to climb for countless women, especially those with limited financial resources.
By calling on the public and the entire sports and fitness sector to acknowledge these challenges, This Girl Can hopes to make feeling “left out” a thing of the past.
Because, as the campaign name so aptly states, belonging starts with inclusion. For more information or to join the conversation, visit www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/jointheconversation.