Almost one-third of UK leisure centres have no single-sex changing areas for swimming pool users putting women and girls at increased risk of voyeurism and sexual assault, an investigation by Women’s Rights Network (WRN) has revealed.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to local councils and leisure providers found a growing trend towards open-plan, mixed-sex ‘changing villages’ in new and refurbished leisure centre swimming pool complexes. Mixed-sex facilities are unpopular with women, who tell WRN that they don’t want to use village-style changing areas and have stopped swimming as a result.
Several high-profile incidents of voyeurism or sexual assault in swimming pool mixed-sex changing areas have been reported in the last decade. Despite the known safety risks and the loss of privacy and dignity for women and girls, the accepted standard when designing new swimming pools is an open plan, universal changing village.
The report also found that the majority of women in the UK have no access to single-sex swimming sessions. Only 10% of local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland offer female-only swimming sessions, and there are none at all in Northern Ireland. In many cases, advertised women-only sessions are open to anyone who ‘identifies as a woman’, i.e. males.
The report concludes that UK Leisure Centres are badly failing women and girls by denying them access to single-sex fitness activities and sex-segregated changing areas. Report author, Faye McGinty, from the WRN Sport Group, says: “The Government is pumping millions of pounds into encouraging women and girls into sports and activity, and yet limited access to single sex swimming results in fewer women swimming. We know that, when asked, women want female-only changing areas.”
WRN is calling for an immediate review of the planning guidance for village style swimming pool changing areas, and will campaign for all UK Leisure Centres to provide at least one subsidised, single-sex swimming session a week dedicated to women and girls.
