Angel Oscco

Connie Douglas
UWRT 1101-037
10/29/14
Differences in Gender/Diversity at the Gym
There are many beliefs that differentiate the meaning of working out or going to the gym.
It is known that each and every one of us, who go to the gym, has a different reason of why we
go to the gym. Some of us want to stay healthy, others want to become strong and improve our
muscle skills. Working out could also lead to a career path because becoming a bodybuilder is
what some people strive to be. Bodybuilders can be transformed into personal trainers and so on.
So how many different type people work to become what they want? How many people are
working at the gym right now to achieve their goals? The point of this ethnography is to figure
out the diversity at the gym and the different techniques used by different people at the gym.
Keep in mind that finding out if different ethnicities prefer working out together or separate is
also a key factor to this observation.
The career path of becoming a personal trainer or a bodybuilder does not limit a specific
gender or ethnicity. Anyone is able to achieve it. The gym at UNCC is an excellent place to
observe the difference in men and women. Since there is a lot of diversity at a university, this
specific gym is a good place to find people from different ethnic groups. This is where the
observation took place. The observation took place on October 27th around 6:00pm. This is one
of the usual times when people start working out and go to the gym. Since the point of this is
only to observe, fitting in with everyone else is critical because it would look kind of awkward
looking at people while talking down notes over to the side of the gym. The observer usually

goes with friends to work out so the observer just went like it was a regular day at the gym.
Whenever it was the observers turn to rest in between sets they started writing down the
observations. The observer first noticed that there were definitely a lot more men than women. It
was as they predicted since men are commonly more interested in going to the gym than women.
Even though this statement could be false in different locations, it is the observations that have
confirmed the prediction. It could certainly be different in other places such as in Iowa, Newhall
confirms this in her article done in the University of Iowa, Because of a presumption of equal
access, supported by data illustrating that women use gyms in greater numbers than
men(Newhall) The next thing the observer noticed was that more women were focused on
cardio and they were mostly located near the treadmills and the bike machines. There were few
women that exercised using the free weights. The men were located near the benches and they
were mostly doing exercises related to getting stronger and building muscle.
We all want to stay fit and healthy but for many men it seems like building more muscle
is the key purpose of going to the gym. Unlike men, most women want to slim down and just
work on their core. The observer goes to the gym a lot and they have noticed that there are a
group of girls that go to the gym everyday and they work on becoming personal trainers from
what they have told the observer. In order to this they must familiarize themselves with many
exercises and routines. They must also have to know what it is like to endure each work out
which is why they go to the gym in the first place. It seems to be that there are a few women that
want to follow this path compared to other women. The observer also noticed many women
wearing different types of sport clothes. This could reveal that they lift weights in order to
become strong and improve in the sport that they are in. There were more women in the gym
with regular workout clothes than women with clothes related to a sport. From the observation, it

seems to be that whenever there is a group of men working out together, they tend to want to
impress women while doing their workout. From another view, women want to stay toned and
they do their work out routine in order to impress men as well. According to an article from the
University of Iowa, Womens fitness regimens comprise part of their identities, in and outside
the gym. In fitness spaces women earned social, cultural, and physical capital based on their
fitness abilities, physiques, and fitness knowledge(Newhall) Although this may be true for most
people, it is good to focus more on your workout and try to stay fit and healthy.
The observer also noticed that men from different cultures tend to work out together. The
observer compared these three Indian men that were always together and they seemed to rarely
make contact with anyone else. There is one observation that was made that was really puzzling.
When the researcher observed the men near the weights, he realized that men from an Indian
background always had a unique sense of clothing. They each appeared to wear popped up
collared polo shirts with jeans. There was no explanation to why but literally every Indian
present in the gym wore the same type of clothes. This was just one thing that was on the
observers mind because it was really confusing. There was also one specific group that was
observed which consisted of one Caucasian male, an Indian male, an Asian male and an African
American male. It seemed to be that this group was the most diverse group at the gym. Since the
researcher goes to the gym a lot, he has noticed that they all go together every time.
This is what the observer could conclude from the observations. It seems to be that there
are more men than women at the gym and the men want to focus more on getting big and
increasing strength while most women want to stay thin and toned. There are some groups of
people that prefer to be with their own ethnical groups and there are others who dont really
mind working out with people with different ethnicities. The researcher also concluded that the

women that are focused on lifting weights tend to follow a career path that is similar to becoming
a personal trainer or are involved in a sport. These statements that were made may not be true for
everybody but in this specific location it is.

Works Cited
Newhall, Kristine. "Is This Working Out? A Spatial Analysis of Women at the Gym." Iowa.edu.
N.p., 2013. Web.