Breaking Barriers: Empowering Women Through Movement on International Women's Day and Beyond

By Lydia Goldman, Senior Account Executive, and Kate Kyratsous, Senior Associate

Everyone should be able to experience the positive physical and mental benefits of exercise, However, the ASICS 2022 State of Mind Index uncovered there is a gender exercise gap.

So, this International Women's Day and Women's History Month, Golin helped ASICS launch an ambitious study that's been fourteen months in the making. We conducted rigorous research, alongside research scientists, into what really holds women back from exercise and importantly, the related mental wellbeing benefit.

We developed a new campaign - Move Her Mind - shedding light on universal barriers to exercise that women face around the world, from time constraints and societal expectations to safety fears and low self-confidence.

As a team we wanted to explore how we could amplify and get behind this campaign for our people internally, Alicia Mellish, our Executive Director in Consumer, had the light bulb moment. To mark the launch of the Move Her Mind campaign, in tandem with this year's IWD theme of 'inspiring inclusion' and Golin's Global DEI themes of neurodiversity and mental well-being, we hosted an internal launch event at our London office, followed by other events in the US and APAC. Our goal was twofold: to encourage our colleagues to embrace movement and to create a space for reflection and inspiration. The day was a huge success, filled with stretch classes and a fun run, followed by a nutritious lunch and an insightful panel session with two remarkable women identified by the study, who are paving the way for an inclusive exercise culture.

Change doesn't happen overnight, but if we can all support and inspire those around us to move, whether it's our daughters, friends, or mothers, we can move one step closer to narrowing the gap.

Part of our study identified that the word 'exercise' can sometimes sound scary, but movement doesn't have to mean running a marathon or hitting the gym. Any amount of physical activity helps, and Move Her Mind challenges the conventional ideas of what women exercising look like, welcoming women of all shapes, sizes and abilities to find their place. Whether it's in that weights room, on the running track, in that pool - wherever we find our happy, sweaty selves.

Golin Global's 2024 DEI priority is Taking Action: Advancing Mental Wellbeing and Neurodiversity.