Freedom, fun, friendship and freezing! Women’s perspectives of participation in open water swimming

Christie, Mark ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4246-0895 , Elliott, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4790-2354 and Wilbraham, Susan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8512-0041 (2025) Freedom, fun, friendship and freezing! Women’s perspectives of participation in open water swimming. Sport in Society .

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Abstract

Current figures show women are less physically active than men. This disparity has led to an increased drive to encourage more women to become physically active. Identifying ‘female-friendly’ activities might promote increased participation. Despite assumptions that women prefer indoor exercise modes, a particular activity challenges this belief: open water swimming (OWS). Data indicates that most OWS participants are female. This study therefore aimed to explore women’s experiences of OWS. Utilising group interviews, twenty-four female participants shared their reasons for engaging in OWS, the personal meaning it holds, and the perceived benefits derived. Data analysis revealed three core themes: (1) transformative impacts upon personal agency; (2) salutogenic benefits derived from OWS and blue spaces; (3), social connectedness, belonging, and support. Findings suggest female open water swimmers derive impactful health benefits and enhanced personal and social capital. Given its popularity, OWS could be an important option to increase women’s physical activity participation.

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	Sport in Society
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	1743-0445
Departments:	Institute of Health > Rehabilitation and Sport Science
Additional Information:	Mark Christie, Senior Lecturer of Sport and Physical Activity Development; Dave Elliot, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science; Susan Wilbraham, Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology, all of the University of Cumbria, UK. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Depositing User:	Susan Wilbraham
Date Deposited:	03 Mar 2025 10:15
Last Modified:	03 Mar 2025 10:16
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8662

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