A new frontier in fitness: Gender disparities in health and wellness are being closed by the digital fitness boom
There is a gender divide in physical activity which scientists have long examined. The gender roles that dictate how women should use their leisure time mean that they are frequently less inclined than men to engage in physical activity.
According to a report by Dr Regina Guthold and others, “Worldwide Trends in Inadequate Physical Activity from 2001 to 2016”, this gender disparity in physical activity grew during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Men and women both started to engage in greater physical activity as the pandemic progressed and digital fitness choices became more accessible. However, women still participate in these activities at a far lower rate than men do.
In contrast to around 4 in 10 men (38%), more than half of women surveyed (55%) said the pandemic had a negative impact on their mental health.
According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, physical activity lowers the risk of depression in children and enhances mental health and cognitive performance in adults.
Closing the gender fitness difference is essential to overcoming the stress of surviving a pandemic. In the end, doing so offers us cause to feel upbeat about how we could advance towards an even bigger sense of community.
Digital fitness exploded when gyms closed and fitness businesses started shifting their lessons and coaching to online platforms. The digital fitness explosion could not only empower women to narrow the gender gap in physical activity, but also lessen the disproportionate emotional and physical load the pandemic placed on them. This much was quickly made evident.
According to Strava's “Year in Sport” report, women aged 18–29 logged 45.2% more fitness activities from April to September 2020 than they did during the same period in 2019, as opposed to a 27.3% rise among their male counterparts.
Overall, women are exercising more, but still less than men. However, there are indications that the current surge in digital fitness may help many who previously couldn't work out at a club or didn't feel welcome, especially women, to exercise more easily and inclusively.
Overcoming historical obstacles
We can keep removing barriers to women's physical activity access if we embrace and promote digital fitness groups. The obstacles we'll overcome are a reflection of persistent problems.
Economic barriers
Costs related to physical exercise, such as buying gym memberships and equipment, are significant obstacles to physical activity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that because women's incomes are frequently lower than men's, cost is a more significant obstacle for them.
According to a study, “Physical Activity Experiences and Beliefs Among Single Mothers” by Dr Deirdre Dlugonski and Dr Robert Motl, such costs are particularly prohibitive for single mothers, which is one reason why single mothers frequently report significant barriers to physical activity.
Aside from the membership costs, many accessible and often even free workout programmes and apps merely need users to bring their bodies.
According to a 2019 report from the Global Wellness Institute, the accessibility of yoga online, which lowers entry barriers, accounts for a sizeable share of the practice's global expansion.
There are 28 million internet users in South Africa, according to Statistics South Africa, and the rise in the number of free or inexpensive digital fitness programmes brought on by the pandemic offers optimism for overcoming financial obstacles to physical exercise.
Time limitations
Women's household and care-giving responsibilities are commonly mentioned in reports as issues that limit their time for exercise or going to the gym.
A 2020 Deloitte survey found that the proportion of women claiming responsibility for 75% or more of care-giving chores had nearly quadrupled to 48% during the pandemic, reinforcing this barrier.
Women may use digital fitness networks as a practical outlet to exercise on their own terms and in their own physical and mental environment.
Fitting in time to exercise is now simpler than ever for many women thanks to the convenience of connecting to a livestream class from home with their dependants nearby or streaming an on-demand video at any time.
Cultural divides
Cultural standards, aesthetic pressure, and gender-based expectations all contribute to women's dread of being evaluated when it comes to participating in sports.
According to a study, “Gender Differences in College Student Physical Activity, and Campus Recreational Facility Use and Comfort”, women frequently avoid weight rooms and equipment because of the presence and behaviour of men, a sense that they don't know how to use it properly, and feelings of self-consciousness.
In contrast to many male-dominated athletic contexts, digital fitness networks provide women a secure, private area with social support. Cultural obstacles to physical exercise can be overcome thanks to the social support, motivation and responsibility found in women-focused internet fitness networks.
Digital technology is undergoing a transformation in the fitness business worldwide. As a result, there are more choices available for people who wish to try other sorts of exercise, such as a live-streamed yoga session or a stationery bike workout.
Even after the pandemic, digital fitness is here to stay and will only help close the gender gap that prevents women from completely reaping the rewards of physical exercise. Women are being physically and emotionally empowered by the digital fitness explosion, and this year we have every right to invest in ourselves.