For many women, the biggest barrier to being active isn’t motivation – it’s safety.
Research by This Girl Can shows that almost three-quarters (72%) of women in the UK change their outdoor activity routines during winter. Not because they want to, but because public spaces aren’t safe enough. They choose different running routes, different times, avoid certain places, or stop outdoor activity altogether.
This isn’t about a lack of confidence or commitment. It’s about experience.
And it’s not just dark nights that cause these feelings. Most women have a story of being followed, stared at, commented on, or made to feel uncomfortable in a public space. Often these moments are dismissed as “normal” or “not a big deal”, but their impact is lasting. They shape behaviour, limit freedom, and create a constant mental calculation:
Is this safe?
Should I go?
What if something happens?
For many others, these are questions they rarely have to ask.
Women often plan their activities around:
- Where the lighting is better
- Who else will be there
- Who they can message to say they’ve arrived safely
Not because they want to, but because experience has taught them to. That has a real impact on physical health, mental wellbeing, and confidence.
If we want more women to feel confident being active, the responsibility can’t sit with women alone.
Allyship in action
Many men move through gyms, streets, parks, and public spaces without ever having to think about their personal safety. That freedom is a privilege not everyone shares.
Being an ally to women doesn’t require grand gestures. It’s about small, consistent actions that help create spaces where women feel comfortable enough to show up, take part, and keep coming back.
Here are three simple but powerful ways to start:
- Listen and learn
Take time to understand women’s experiences – in sport, work, and daily life. Their experiences are likely to be different from yours, and working to understand those differences matters. Listening without defensiveness is one of the most powerful things you can do.
- Be mindful of your presence
Whether it’s in the gym, a bar, a shopping centre, or an outdoor space, treat everyone with respect. Give people space, avoid staring, and think about how your actions might be experienced, not just how they’re intended.
- Challenge the “banter”
If you hear outdated jokes or assumptions, don’t ignore them. If a friend makes a comment that objectifies or undermines women, a calm “That’s not OK” can shift the tone of an entire environment and show support in a way that really matters.
The power of influence
Male allyship isn’t only about behaviour in shared spaces. It’s also about influence.
Across workplaces, sport, community organisations and public life, men still hold many leadership positions and decision-making roles. With that influence comes the opportunity to shape culture, set standards, and challenge practices that may unintentionally exclude others.
Allyship at this level is proactive. It means:
- Noticing who isn’t represented or heard
- Questioning long-standing norms that disadvantage others
- Championing equity in policies, programming and leadership
- Creating pathways for women to step into visible roles
It’s about using influence, not to dominate conversations, but to open them up.
Cultural change doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people with influence choose to consistently model respect, fairness and inclusion. When men in leadership roles call out inappropriate behaviour and champion female colleagues, they don’t just change one interaction; they help reshape the culture around them.
And culture is what determines whether women feel welcomed, valued and safe enough to fully participate.
Creating safer spaces to move
We love This Girl Can’s Let’s Lift the Curfew movement, and have set up run clubs at three of our hubs across Stockport in support of this. These sessions are designed to help women feel empowered to take up space, without fear, without hesitation, and without having to calculate risk.
Our runs are led by experienced male instructors who fully stand behind the importance of female safety and the role of male allyship in this battle.
Although the campaign is coming to an end this month, we’re pleased to announce our run clubs at Life Leisure Grand Central and Hazel Grove will be continuing!
If you want to join us, check out our timetable on the Life Leisure app. They’re completely free and open to everyone.
Let March, the month of International Women’s Day, be your invitation to be part of the movement:
Be aware
Be supportive
Be respectful
Be an ally
Because creating spaces where women feel safe isn’t a women’s issue, it’s a collective responsibility, and freedom to move shouldn’t depend on who you are.
