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Women and girls still changing behaviour to avoid harassment

23rd July 2026

New Sport England research shows safety concerns and affordability continue to shape how women aged 16–34 use gyms and leisure centres, highlighting opportunities for the fitness and leisure sector to take action.

Women and girls should be able to walk into a gym, leisure centre or fitness class and focus on being active – not on how to avoid unwanted attention or harassment.

But new research from Sport England shows almost one in five women (19%) aged 16–34 say they feel uncomfortable or unsafe in these environments because of the possibility of sexual harassment or intimidation.

It builds on our 2022 research with ukactive, which found that personal safety and confidence can be significant barriers for women and girls when participating in physical activity.

Young women in an exercise class in a sports hall raise their hands to the ceiling, they look very focused

Claire Edwards, our head of campaign activation, said: "Four years on from our initial study, this updated research shows that too many women are still adapting their behaviour to avoid harassment.

"If we want more women and girls to be active, we cannot ignore the barriers that make them feel unwelcome, uncomfortable or unsafe.

"Many organisations across the sector are already taking positive action but this research highlights there is still more to do.”

Many opportunities for action are already reflected in the Safer Spaces to Move hub, which we developed with ukactive following our earlier research into this subject.

The hub brings together practical tools, training, guidance, policies and communications resources to help fitness and leisure providers create safer, more inclusive environments.

What are the latest findings?

The Activity Check-in report from Sport England found that cost remains the biggest barrier preventing women aged 16–34 from using fitness and leisure centres more often (44%), followed by centres being too busy (35%) and centres being too far away or difficult to get to (20%). 

But alongside these practical reasons, concerns about sexual harassment and intimidation continue to affect how many women in this age group experience fitness and leisure centres, influencing whether they take part, how they behave when they do, and whether they come back.

Among women who use fitness and leisure centres, 62% report making some form of behaviour change after experiencing or witnessing harassment or intimidation.

The most commonly reported changes to behaviours are avoiding dressing in a certain way (29%), avoiding visiting at certain times (29%), avoiding areas of the centre that usually have more men (29%) and avoiding attending on their own (26%).

The report showed that sexual harassment and intimidation are not unique to fitness and leisure centres, with just 14% of women surveyed saying they believe these experiences are more likely to happen there than in everyday life.

However, 86% report experiencing at least one form of physical, verbal, non-verbal or online harassment or intimidation in a fitness or leisure centre, in the last three years.

Nearly four in five women (79%) aged 16-34 agree that sexual harassment should be reported.

Yet around a third (35%) lack confidence that reporting processes are clear, that staff know how to respond appropriately (34%), that they would feel comfortable raising concerns (32%), or that action would be taken if they did (31%).

But Safer Spaces to Move is making a difference. The report found that nearly two thirds of women aged 16-34 said their centre had a code of conduct (63%) and visible information on how to report harassment (62%).

That's up from four years ago, when our research found that less than half of female gym users (46%) were aware that their centre had a code of conduct or safety policies.

Download the report

Creating safer spaces to move

The new research encourages organisations to review their practices and consider what more they can do to build confidence and create positive experiences for women and girls, such as:

  • strengthening staff capability
  • improving confidence in reporting processes
  • communicating clearly about unacceptable behaviour
  • considering how safety concerns influence participation.

The findings also highlight the continued relevance of the priorities reflected in Safer Spaces to Move.

Encouragingly, operators have been engaged and supportive of Safer Spaces to Move because they share the same goal of making gyms, leisure centres and fitness spaces safer, more welcoming environments for women and girls.
 
Many gyms and leisure providers have put systems in place and take robust action to protect their users, including improved reporting procedures and staff training, as well as supporting victims of harassment and better communication to gym goers about what is in place to protect them.
 
The research suggests there is an opportunity to build on this progress by increasing confidence in existing processes and ensuring that women can feel safe, confident and supported wherever they choose to be active.

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