‘No Men Allowed’ – The Gym Getting Women Fit and into Work

In 2006, Turkish entrepreneur Bedriye Hülya set up her first women-only gym, b-fit. It’s cheap to join and is now a successful chain.

Many women in Turkey don’t feel comfortable exercising alongside men and their male relatives may not allow them to use mixed gyms, so b-fit is a place where they can go.

Women in Turkey are more likely to be overweight than men, according to government statistics, and the World Health Organization says nearly two thirds don’t get enough exercise.

All the gyms are staffed and run by women so the company says it’s creating jobs in a country where just 34% of women work.

But some feminists feel that separating men and women is not the way forward, and women should be made to feel welcome everywhere.

We went to Istanbul to see how the business works.

Presenter: Kat Hawkins Reporter: Neyran Elden Producer: Vibeke Venema

(Image Credit: BBC)