Sexist, or just plain unfair?

will.i.amnt

Not wanting to cause any arguments, just looking for opinions.

I noticed a sign in my gym today (it's been there for ages, but I didn't really pay attenton).

"You are entering a boy free zone".

It's on the wall adjacent to the female changing rooms. Needless to say there isn't a similar one on the entrance to the male changing rooms.

Basically, boys aren't allowed in the female changing rooms, regardless of age.

Females, however, are OK to be in the male changing rooms, in fact, there were a couple of maybe 3/4 year old girls showering and getting changed with their dad when I was in.

Obviously I'm talking about accompanied children.

Sexist?

victor2

Maybe it's due to public demand? Women complaining that little boys are allowed in and stare at them, where the men haven't complained because they don't give a ****?

Tiglath

No boys at all, including the tiny ones? That's a bit harsh. Fair enough if they get to say 6 or 7, but I personally don't see any harm in the tinies being in with their Mums.

Hermia

It seems odd. Do a lot of little girls use the changing rooms? If so I wonder if they have felt that the boys were looking at them or something like that. I remember girls being mortified at having to share a changing room with boys at school because the boys just stared at our "bits" even though we were only about 7.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow

"Basically, boys aren't allowed in the female changing rooms, regardless of age"

that can't be true, obviously, because if a 1 or 2 year old goes with his mum he isn't capable of looking after himself alone in the changing room.

It's probably just a light hearted comment, don't read too much into it.

go_cat

As a mum I would ignore that sign anyway, if me and my 5 year old son go swimming he obviously changes with me regardless of any signage.

Obviously when he is 15 it may be different

podperson

I would have seen a sign worded like that as a bit of a joke. It certainly wouldn't imply to me that I couldn't take a small boy into the changing rooms with me if he was too young to be getting changed on his own - and I'm sure they would have people getting annoyed and probably lose business if they enforced something like that.

will.i.amnt

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow wrote: »

"Basically, boys aren't allowed in the female changing rooms, regardless of age"

that can't be true, obviously, because if a 1 or 2 year old goes with his mum he isn't capable of looking after himself alone in the changing room.

It's probably just a light hearted comment, don't read too much into it.

Possibly, although I have seen a few unaccompanied boys who seemed very young to be in on their own. Obviously there a quite a few mothers who take it seriously too.

Still, in this day and age of everything being SO PC it does seem a tad anachronistic. It's not exactly an independent gym either.

gem75

I don't have a problem with boys up to about the age of 7 in the ladies changing rooms (and similarly for girls in the male changing rooms) but after that they really should use the correct one for their sex.
I am sick of having to try and get changed at my gym (which I pay quite a lot a month for) in full view of boys some of whom look to be getting on for 12 or 13.

Person_one

Nearly all gyms etc. have policies that children can go in with their opposite sex parent up to a certain age, usually 5 or thereabouts.

They have to have the rules because some parents really push it. 11 year olds watching opposite sex adults undress is not really appropriate!

I bet the the sign is on one and not the other because dads are less likely to take their children swimming and less likely to take children that are too old into the wrong changing rooms. Subjecting older female children who are possibly in the early stages of puberty to a room full of naked men is far more problematic than the other way around and I doubt any dads want to do it.

The women's changing room is probably seen as 'safer' anyway, for boys and girls.

Treevo

Person_one wrote: »

Nearly all gyms etc. have policies that children can go in with their opposite sex parent up to a certain age, usually 5 or thereabouts.

They have to have the rules because some parents really push it. 11 year olds watching opposite sex adults undress is not really appropriate!

I bet the the sign is on one and not the other because dads are less likely to take their children swimming and less likely to take children that are too old into the wrong changing rooms. Subjecting older female children who are possibly in the early stages of puberty to a room full of naked men is far more problematic than the other way around and I doubt any dads want to do it.

The women's changing room is probably seen as 'safer' anyway, for boys and girls.

Out of interest why is it 'far more problematic than the other way around'?