Women’s Public Fitness Space Study

Research focus

How do social interactions and environmental conditions contribute to women’s discomfort in public fitness spaces, and how do women adapt their routines in response?

This synthesis brings together the report’s research questions about social experience, environmental discomfort and adaptive behaviour.

Study approach

The team conducted 10 semi-structured interviews, recruited through word of mouth, with women who regularly used fitness facilities. Sessions lasted 10–15 minutes and took place in person or virtually. The interview focus covered discomfort, spatial and social barriers, coping strategies and preferences; the full interview guide is not included in the report.

A follow-up questionnaire combined closed and open-ended questions with 10 women graduate students. It explored the issues raised in interviews. Participant overlap between the two stages is not documented, so these counts do not establish 20 unique participants.

From accounts to themes

The team organized interview observations by keywords across four analytical lenses: motivation, contextual knowledge, existing practices and cognitive models. Affinity diagramming grouped recurring pain points and behaviours into four themes. A physical work model related reported adaptations to spatial conditions.

Questionnaire responses were examined through descriptive counts and rankings, alongside thematic coding of open-ended answers. The report describes this process but does not provide a full codebook or independent coding checks.

Four key themes

• Access and social interaction: participants described difficulty entering or using spaces perceived as male-dominated, particularly around strength-training equipment.
• Judgment and visibility: feeling watched or evaluated could discourage trying unfamiliar equipment, asking for help or using particular areas.
• Adaptation: participants reported changing workout times, choosing familiar machines, learning through online resources or moving to different spaces to manage discomfort.
• Environmental fit: equipment reach, limited stretching space, crowding, hygiene, ventilation and lighting affected how comfortable and usable facilities felt.

Selected design directions

• Make support visible: clearly communicate policies on harassment and ways to seek assistance.
• Support equipment learning: offer short visual instructions so people can explore unfamiliar equipment with less uncertainty.
• Explore structured equipment access: investigate reservation options that reduce the need to negotiate access in busy areas. This remains a proposal requiring evaluation.