Nearly three-quarters of women (72%) change their behaviour during the darker winter months when it comes to getting outside and staying active, a report has highlighted.
The research from Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has emphasised the impact of safety concerns – including poor lighting and poorer perceptions of safety – during the darker months on the ability of women in particular to stay active.
After the clocks go back in October, one in four (24%) ensure they always take well-lit routes, almost a quarter (23%) avoid certain areas altogether, and one in five (20%) glance behind them to ensure they’re not being followed, the research said.
Sport England also highlighted a similar study last year that found nearly half (46%) of women changed their outdoor activity routines during the darker months, indicating a rise in safety concerns and the impact of shorter daylight hours on women’s ability to get active as winter approaches.
This Girl Can’s Let’s Lift the Curfew movement is challenging the idea of a curfew during winter months that prevents women getting out and enjoying getting active.
From Southampton to Durham, more than 100 runs have taken place, symbolising a collective effort to defy the restrictions women feel during the darker months and demand urgent change to tackle women’s safety fears, Sport England said.
A flagship run in Manchester featured a glow-in-the-dark display of UV-lit footsteps which lit up the ground with words such as ‘vulnerable’, ‘anxious’ and ‘afraid’, spotlighting the feelings women experience when getting active outdoors after the clocks go back.
This Girl Can is spotlighting five action areas to advocate for systemic change:
- Wider cultural awareness of women’s safety issues and education that teaches respect for and allyship with women.
- Comprehensive reporting frameworks against misogynistic behaviour of all levels, across all environments.
- Improved information sharing around the prevalence and locations of sexual harassment to inform solutions that better protect women.
- Spaces designed with a focus on women’s safety, including public outdoors areas for sports and physical activity.
- Continued collaboration with partners to create a bigger movement to tackle the safety fears that contribute to the gender activity gap.
Kate Dale, Sport England director of marketing, said: “Women should have the freedom to run, walk, or cycle without the fear of what might happen in the dark.
“Yet many feel they have no choice but to change their routes, routines, or avoid exercising outdoors completely when the sun goes down. This isn’t just inconvenient – it’s an injustice.
“Violence against women and girls is an epidemic, and our research suggests that women’s safety fears getting active in winter have worsened over the past year. This should be a wake-up call for everyone – women, men, allies, and all sectors – to confront the issue head-on, with urgency and action.
“Let’s Lift the Curfew is demanding lasting change so that every woman can move freely and safely. Women deserve to feel confident, strong, and safe when they’re getting active, day or night, and we won’t stop until that becomes the reality,” Dale added.
