Nearly three-quarters of women said they change their outdoor activity routines during the winter months, according to new data.
Research commissioned by This Girl Can also highlighted the different safety precautions that women across the UK are forced to take during the colder, darker months, including taking well-lit routes or avoiding certain areas altogether.
A similar study last year found that less than 50 percent of respondents modified their exercise routines in the winter, highlighting a recent increase in women’s safety concerns and the impact of shorter days on their ability to do exercise and stay active.
The data was released the same week that Saoirse Ronan issued a powerful reminder about women’s safety, leaving male actors Eddie Redmayne, Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington silent during an interview.
The American-born Irish actress, 30, was praised by her fans online after she stopped a joke about self-defense, with anti-sexual violence activists and social media users backing the actress for standing up to the reality of what women “face every day.”
Nearly three-quarters of women said they change their outdoor activity routines during the winter months, according to new data (file image)
Research commissioned by This Girl Can also highlighted the different safety precautions women are forced to take during the colder, darker months, shortly after Saoirse Ronan issued a powerful reminder of women’s lived experiences.
Ronan’s mic drop moment came during an appearance on Graham Norton’s show on October 25.
At one point during the BBC show, Redmayne, 42, revealed that he was taught how to use a phone to retaliate in the event of an attack, as part of training for his role in The Day of the Jackal, an upcoming miniseries. by Peacock.
Mescal, 28, laughed and joked: “Who’s really going to think about that?” “If someone really attacked me, I’m not going to make a phone call.”
Norton, 61, then mimed holding a phone to defend himself against an attacker and said: “Can you wait a second?” to which Redmayne said: “That’s a very good point.”
However, the room immediately fell silent after Ronan gave a sobering reminder of women’s experiences, adding: “That’s what girls have to think about all the time.”
A survey of 2,002 women commissioned by This Girl Can – a campaign run by Sport England to promote sport among women – found that 72 per cent of respondents changed their outdoor routines after the clocks went back.
The findings amplify Ronan’s stark warning about women’s safety as they highlight the different ways in which women are forced to protect and safeguard themselves from unwanted attention, harassment and assault.
One in four women said they try to follow well-lit routes, avoiding parks and quieter areas, while 20 per cent of respondents said they look behind them to make sure they are not followed.
Ronan’s mic drop moment came during an appearance on Graham Norton’s show on October 25, alongside Paul Mescal (far left), Denzel Washington (center left) and Eddie Redmayne (far right).
Runners take part in This Girl Can’s Let’s Lift the Curfew event in Manchester, after new research found almost three quarters of women adjust their behavior when exercising outdoors during the winter months.
Alison, who lives in Doncaster, shared the unusual safety measure she was “forced to take” after a terrifying incident changed her relationship with running forever in 2014, leaving her feeling “scared, humiliated and completely vulnerable.”
“I went for a run around 7 p.m. before starting my night shift at work,” he recalled. «The conditions were typical of a winter night race: wet, dark and cold.
“I had my reflective gear on and was doing my best to stay on well-lit streets,” he continued. «As I was running down the sidewalk, a car passed in front of me. I didn’t think anything of it until the driver rolled down the window and threw something at me.
“The shock and suddenness tripped me up,” Alison said. ‘Worse than the act itself was hearing the men inside the car laughing as they sped off. They thought it was funny, but I felt scared, humiliated and completely vulnerable.”
In the aftermath of the assault, Alison became afraid to venture out alone and joined local running groups which she described as a “lifesaver”.
While she eventually regained the confidence to start running on her own, Alison said she remains “very alert” of her surroundings, especially during the winter months in the UK.
A survey of 2,002 women commissioned by This Girl Can, a campaign developed by Sport England to promote sport among women, found that 72 percent of respondents changed their outdoor routines after the clocks went back (image from archive).
To mark the official end of the British summer, more than 100 races will be held across the country to symbolize a collective effort to defy the curfew felt by women during the darkest months.
It gives women the opportunity to take back the streets when they feel safety concerns while exercising.
The research commissioned by This Girl Can also highlighted the different safety precautions that women across the UK are forced to take during the colder, darker months.
She also began sending a photo of her with her gear to her friends before each race so that “if something happened, they would know what she was wearing and where she had last been.”
“It sounds daunting, but that’s the reality of being a woman who exercises outdoors in today’s world,” Alison added, echoing Ronan’s stark ten-word reality check to her male Hollywood co-stars. earlier this week.
Like Alison, Brighton-based influencer Nelly London also admitted to taking a number of safety precautions while running outdoors in a video posted to Instagram, including carrying a legal weapon and sharing her running route live with friends so they can raise the alarm if it goes out. course.
Her clip followed a 2023 survey by sportswear brand Adidas that found nearly all women (92 percent) reportedly have safety concerns when running outdoors. Just over half of them (51 percent) fear physical attacks.
Meanwhile, only 28 percent of men have the same safety concerns.
This Girl Can, a national campaign to encourage women to be active, has announced its second annual Lift the Curfew movement in a bid to challenge the idea of a winter curfew that prevents women from exercising or walking outdoors. outdoors.
Hundreds of women are expected to take part in the Let’s Lift The Curfew races being organized across the country, from Southampton to Durham, and take back the streets.
“Violence against women and girls is an epidemic, and our research suggests that women’s fears about safety when doing physical activity in winter have worsened over the past year,” Sport’s marketing director said in a statement. England, Kate Dale.
“This should be a wake-up call to everyone: women, men, allies and all sectors to confront the problem head-on, with urgency and action.”