Research Questions:
Gender separation is an unintentional and sometimes uncontrollable situation
between sexes that causes both to segregate. The ARC, which is the University of
Illinois in Urbana-Champaign’s main attraction for physical activity and exercise for all
students and faculty of the school, is a perfect facility where this separation can be
observed. Physical activity and/or exercise are a great source to refer to when looking for
this gender separation because it is a leisure time activity. This means that we were able
to observe the most natural form of gender separation because the individuals are
performing activities that they want to. That being said, the ARC is a quad level facility
containing a weight room (basement), many gyms or basketball courts (ground floor and
basement), pools (ground floor and outside), all types of cardiovascular equipment such
as ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, and even a track (all located on the main floor and upper
floor), and there are other rooms that are used for other activities like yoga, dance, karate,
boxing, etc. (main floor). There are so many amenities at the ARC that it made it
difficult to narrow down our research to certain activities. We came to the understanding
that it would be best to observe the main attractions such as the weight room, gyms, some
activity classes, and the cardio fitness areas. The questions we were trying to answer
were as follows:

Is there a gender separation at the ARC?

Where does gender separation exist at the ARC?

What are the factors that cause gender separation in physical activity?

Does the ARC facilitate gender separation?

Is the intensity of the physical activity affected by the presence of the opposite
gender?
Hypothesis:
To us these were some of the important questions that we wanted answers to.
These questions were chosen because they help conclude what we are researching. We
proposed that there would be a gender separation at the ARC because both genders have
different goals that they are trying to fulfill. There are many variables that lead to the
decisions as to why each gender chooses the exercise of physical activity they are
participating in, such as a sport or a hobby, but we are overlooking these variables due to
context boundaries. Instead, we are focusing on each gender as a whole in order to gather
the information directly related to our study.
This topic was chosen because each member of our group has experienced the
ARC in one instance or another. When developing our final research questions, we all
agreed that there seemed to be separation based on gender, as if it was expected that we
participate in certain activities based on our gender. The notion of gender and sex is an
important facet within the study of bodies. Especially within Western cultures where it
has been noted that they the societies “operate on the basis of binary opposites, or rely on
a dimorphic model of sex.” This distinction between males and females is very evident as
“the human body is categorized into two distinct, mutually exclusive sexes” (Howson,
2004, p. 41). Examining the University of Illinois, the ARC provides an excellent
opportunity to view these differences of gender roles concerning the practice of fitness
and how they relate to the bodies on campus.
Significant Findings:
Most of our findings agreed with our hypothesis and is supported by texts from
Andrea Howson such as: “Gender, or masculinity and femininity, is expressed and
arranged in different ways at different points in time and in different social spaces”
(Howson, p. 52). Based on our observations and the survey results there was definitely a
visible gender separation at the ARC. From the survey results we found most people
attend the ARC primarily for the appearance reasons (68% of females and 52% of males
chose appearance over the leisure and health options). 0% of the females chose leisure
and only 8% of males, which was surprising since it seemed as if many males came to the
ARC to participate in leisure activities such as the different organized sports. An
interesting thing that became apparent upon the analysis of the survey data was, when the
participants were asked whether they usually see more males or females at the ARC.
Even though many responded that they see an equal amount of males and females
working out, 10 females and only 1 male responded that they usually see more females at
the ARC while 15 males and only 2 females agreed that they see more males. The
specific area in which they spent most of their time probably affected those responses.
We noticed that mainly males are found in the weight room and out of the people
surveyed all the males responded that they use the weight room on regular basis while all
the females, excluding one, responded they never do. When working on strength most of
the females choose the upstairs area of the gym.
Another interesting finding was that none of the males surveyed had ever
participated in any of the fitness classes offered at the ARC, however, from our
observations it is clear that they participate in more competitive team sports activities
than the females. When participating in cardiovascular activity, the women spend
majority of their time using the machines while majority of the men choose to participate
in team sport or group activities . Because of the clear gender separation we thought that
a person’s workout intensity would be greatly affected when working in a presence of the
opposite gender, however half of the males and females stated that it has no effect.
During our research we also conducted two interviews, one male and one female,
of subjects who frequent the ARC. The subjects were selected during their visits to the
ARC and agreed to participate in the research. The conversation was directed toward
finding out the subjects’ own observations on the ARC regarding gender roles and their
own fitness expectations. What was found was that both male and female subjects
interviewed expressed that there is not an issue with the ARC being coeducational.
However, both subjects do acknowledge gender segregation within the facility amongst
the amenities provided. Specifically they note the example of the weight room being a
male dominated area of the center, showing a distinction in not only social spacing
between males and females but also in the exercises each gender participates in as the
female subject mentions how she usually goes to the second floor to perform mat
exercises. The subjects were also asked about the primary goals of their exercising and
both responded with physical health reasons, which supports the data found in the
surveys.
Discussion:
Historically, the Campus Recreation facilities were separated by gender. Huff
Hall was once called the new gym and was used for men’s recreation (UIUC Website).
Freer Hall was used for women’s recreation (Platt). The University even had separate
departments for physical activity for men and women (UIUC Website). Through the
development of the campus and the creation of larger facilities to accommodate the
growing student population, Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE) and IMPE
(Intramural Education Building), later to be reconstructed and renamed the ARC
(Activities and Recreation Center), were, and still are, commonly used for students, both
male and female to fulfill any personal physical activity goals.
The significant findings are so important because it shows that the history of
gender separation still has an effect on how students use the exercise facilities. The past
segregation of gender has not changed even though facilities such as the ARC are open to
all student and faculty. The gender separation that was visualized is not institutional,
anyone can use any part of the ARC, but the participants at the ARC separate themselves,
largely based on gender, and this can give us an interesting insight into the behavior of
the campus population as a whole. Such findings support the Social Model of Disability.
The Social Model of Disability states: Disability transpires when society fails to
accommodate physical impairment or denotes such impairment as in need of special
arrangements (Howson, 27). Although disability is not the topic of research, this model
gives us insight about how the participants at the ARC become “mentally impaired” due
to the way that it is organized and perceptions of what activities are acceptable for certain
genders to partake in.
The objective of this project was to show if a separation exists between genders in
physical activity practices. This research topic was examined by observation of the ARC.
By observing at the ARC, we had the opportunity to view behavior that might normally
be overlooked. During the observation, the various areas of the ARC were viewed and a
head count was conducted in order to visualize the actual numbers of each gender
participating in the physical activity. It was expected that there would be more women
using cardio machines and the running track, while the men were going to virtually
dominate every other aspect of the gym. What was found was actually deeper than pure
domination.
It was found that different genders were dominant in the ARC at different times.
When the ARC was observed on 11/8 at night, it was clear that males were dominant in
the gym. The ARC was about 63.3% male and 36.7% female. As expected, females
dominated the cardio and stretching portions of the ARC and males were more populous
in every other area of the ARC. On 11/14 in the late afternoon, however, there were
more women in the ARC, but the numbers did not differ as greatly as on 11/8. On 11/14,
the ARC was about 56.6% female, and 43.4% male. In this case, females dominated
about half of the distinct areas of the ARC. It was also observed that the dominant
gender was also more social during their time at the ARC, and this could be due to people
wanting to exercise with their friends for various reasons. It was noticed that the people
with companions were often of the same gender, which also adds to the numbers of and a
few free weights machines, particular gender at a given time.
According to the findings in the survey, our hypothesis was correct. Based on the
results from the survey, we can see that males and females both have tendencies to avoid
or refrain from using specific areas of the ARC. There are a lot of reasons as to why this
is the way it is, but mainly its because of the goals of each individual; an example being
men wanting to get bigger or stronger so they use the weight room whereas women want
to stay fit so they run, this was validated by Gimlin in her explanation of goals and
physical activity. She states as Michael Featherstone, Joan Finkelstein, and others have
argued, in contemporary culture apprearance symbolizes character, particularly for
women” (Gimlin, p. 56). Our results also show that 1 out of the 25 women use the
weight room, supporting our initial idea that this there is a gender separation in certain
areas. We also see that when asked if participants usually see more males or females at
the ARC, 13 of the females and 9 males responded that they see an equal amount of
males and females working out. 10 females and only 1 male responded that they usually
see more females at the ARC, and 15 males and only 2 females agreed that they see more
males at the gym. This could be a result of specific location. The males and females who
responded equal most likely utilize different parts of the gym, whereas the women who
responded that they see more women probably use areas of the gym where men do not
use as much. This could also be the same for the males who responded that they see
more males. They probably use the weight room and leave, which, in turn, makes them
biased towards their decision. This is conclusion is also seen in the observation portion o
the research.
Our interviews correlated with the information found from the surveys and
observations as well, the most striking being the example of segregation of the lower
level weight room. The female subject when interviewed explained, “I would be really
intimidated to go down there. I had to go down there one time for a cycling class and I
was really freaked out. Because it’s all males.” The male subject supported this statement
as he described this separation as, “most girls tend to stay upstairs with the lighter
weights and the ellipticals and whereas most of the guys are in the basement with the
actual weights.” This shows that there is an impactful distinction that has been made
between the physical activities of males versus females. It can be argued that this
distinction is more of a stereotype as other researchers have noted more of a parity of
physical activity amongst male and females over the years. They comment that, “while
medical and ideological control of women’s participation in athletic continues (albeit in
milder forms than in the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries) to limit the types of
exercise considered appropriate to proper gender enactment, female athletes now
participate in many sports once considered exclusively male terrain” (Gimlin, 2002, p.
51). However this is not necessarily the case as it is observed in the ARC there is a
difference between the exercises male and females perform. Though it is also stated
“while men tend to engage more actively in demanding, vigorous sports and recreation,
gender differences in overall activity level have nearly disappeared in recent years.” This
is exampled in the interviews with the subjects as both male and female describe that they
work out about the same number of times a week.
In order to fully explore the topic of Gender Separation in the ARC, we would
have to expand our research methods. It would be beneficial to conduct more interviews,
and to not only look at the ARC, but gender separation, as a whole, in Campus
Recreation. We would investigate the history of campus recreation through archival
research and compare past physical activity trends to present physical activity trends and
explore why certain genders participate in certain activities and whether or not this has
changed over time. Also, during he interviews, we would try to understand the goals of
the participants. If we can find common goals and motives behind physical activity
based on gender, then we will be able to understand why the separation of genders exist
in physical activity. We would take this a step further by educating individuals. As
Howson states, “the external appearance of the face and body are crucial to the
development of self. Over time, through processes of interaction with others, we develop
awareness of how they see us, which in turn influences how we see ourselves.” (Howson
p. 18). And by driving this point home, we can hope to not only change the physical
activity trends on campus, but we can improve how others interact with each other and
how they perceive themselves.
Bibliography:
"Fighting Illini Facilities." Athletics at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
29 11 2011
<http://www.athletics.illinois.edu/facilities/facilities/huff/default.htm>.
Gimlin, Debra L. Body Work: Beauty and Self-image in American Culture. (p. 56)
Berkeley: University of California, 2001. Print.
Howson, A. (2004). The Body in Society. (p.52 ). Malden, MA: Polity Press.
Howson, A. (2004). The Body in Society. (p. 18). Malden, MA: Polity Press.
Platt, Charles A. "The New Women's Gymnasium- University of Illinois (Freer)."
University of Illinois LIbrary. 29 11 2011
<http://www.library.illinois.edu/contentdm/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=
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