While there’s no shortage of reasons to celebrate womanhood, sadly it also involves being enrolled in many secret societies you don’t want to be part of. The #MeToo movement was one example of this – the many incidents of harassment and abuse that had previously gone unspoken, with 97% of women having been sexually harassed, according to stats from UN Women which only came to light last year. Being a victim of medical misogyny is another, with women overlooked in everything from mental health diagnoses to physical pain.
And then there’s the seasonal edition: the lifestyle changes women feel forced to make during the autumn and winter months, as the days get shorter. All too often, these changes pertain to a feeling of reduced safety due to the heightened risk of male violence against women in darker, less-inhabited spaces, with females reducing their quality of life-boosting habits (evening runs, listening to podcasts through headphones) in a bid to protect themselves.
The statistics show how prevalent these changes are: for instance, ONS research found that 49% of women claimed they felt unsafe walking by themselves at night, even in a busy public place, while over half (56%) of women gave up exercise completely in winter, according to another survey by Sports Direct in 2022.
In January this year, Sainsbury’s was ridiculed on social media for an advertisement for a dress hooked around “walk or strolls in the park after dark”, which women-at-large on the internet had decided were off the cards.
Nine months on, we put the question out to individuals on social media – ‘What lifestyle changes do you make during the winter months? – and were shocked by the overwhelming response we received. While there were too many to list them all, here are just some of the ways in which women feel they have to alter their lives for almost half of the year, sourced from X (formerly known as Twitter).
Rerouting their commute
“I walk down the canal to get to work/the gym as it’s quicker – will deffo be sticking to the main roads when the days get shorter!”, wrote Becca Peel.
Removing their AirPods while walking to be more alert
Numerous women said they took out their AirPods while out in public during the darker months, including Claire Barrance and Catherine Yardley. Tara Brennan also said she does this.
Carrying weapons or torches
The threat of violence motivates Catherine (as above) to carry perfume in her bag “to spray in someone’s eye”, while fear of going unnoticed in the darkness means Taz carries around an umbrella which has a spotlight.
Using public transport or paying for Ubers rather than walking
Again, this was a concession made by a number of respondents, including Sierra who said she uses Uber much more in the winter compared to summer “because walking and public transit doesn’t feel as safe”. Yet another way in which women pay a financial burden on top of the gender pay gap.
Saying “No” to work opportunities that might involve risky travel scenarios
Stand-up comedian Vix Leyton says she has to turn down work in the winter months if it’s a gig that takes place at a remote location: “If it looks like the route isn’t well lit/ goes through a park/ industrial estate then I can’t take it.”
Not going out at all after dark
Leanne Maskell says she stops going out after 4pm in the winter
Relying on lifts from the station
Both Taz and Jessica Clegg share that they are reliant on lifts in the car from their partner for returning home from their commute, to avoid walking in the dark.
Buying new running shoes
Kate A says she invests in more expensive trainers, as she can no longer run in the dark after dark “because running on well lit pavements is harder on my knees than the track through the park”.