The Digital Fitness Boom Is Closing Gender Gaps in Health and Wellness

Fitness apps like Sweat and FiiT are proving to be unlikely solutions to the disproportionate burden women felt through the pandemic, as well as the gaps in gender equity that have always plagued fitnesWestend61/Getty ImagThe gender gap in physical activity is something researchers have studied for years. Women are often less likely to be physically active due to gender roles and responsibilities that command how they spend their free time (1During the COVID-19 pandemic, that gender gap in physical activity only intensified (2, 3).

As the pandemic wore on and digital fitness options became more readily available, both men and women began to participate more in physical activities. Yet, the rate at which women participate in these activities still lags far behind that of men (3According to a recent poll, more than half of women (55%) reported that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected their mental health, compared with about 4 in 10 men (38%) (4We know that physical activity improves mental health and cognitive function among adults and reduces the risk of depression among children (5Trusted SourcAs such, addressing the gender gap in fitness is key to recovering from the stress of living through a pandemic. Doing so ultimately gives us reason to be optimistic about how we might push forward toward an even greater collective well-being.

A new fitness frontiAs gym doors closed and fitness companies began moving their classes and coaching to online platforms, digital fitness took ofSoon it was clear: The digital fitness boom can not only empower women to close the gender gap in physical activity but also ease the pandemidisproportionate mental and physical burden on themAccording to fitness app Strava’s Year in Sport report, between April and September 2020, women ages 18–29 tracked 45.2% more fitness activities than they did during the same period last year, compared with a 27.3% increase among their male counterparts (6Women are exercising more overall, but still not as much as men. Nevertheless, there are signs that the recent boom in digital fitness could close the gaps in accessibility and inclusivity for many people who, before now, either couldn’t work out at a gym or didn’t feel welcome, including women.

Breaking through historic barrieIf we embrace and support digital fitness communities, we’ll continue to break through obstacles to women’s accessibility to physical activity. The barriers we’ll power through are reflective of long-standing challengesEconomic barrieCosts associated with physical activity, such as purchasing equipment and gym membership fees, are notable barriers to physical activitAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), the costs are a more substantial barrier for women because their income is often lower than that of men (7Trusted SourceSuch costs are especially high expenditures for single

mothers, which is one reason single mothers often report substantial barriers to physical activity (8Trusted Source)While digital fitness can also be quite costly (for example, at the time of publication, the Mirror costs $1,495 plus a $39 per month access subscription), numerous affordable and even free exercise classes and apps only require participants to bring their bodieA 2019 Report from the Global Wellness Institute attributes a significant portion of the worldwide growth in the practice of yoga to its online availability, which lowers cost barriers to participation (9).