Women only pools: What do you think?

(Source)
Ladies, what do you think of this idea—a ladies only public pool.  In my local city a groups of women (most Islamic) are pushing for a pool that would be women only (newspaper story).

“Women who feel they cannot be in swimmers in front of men for religious or cultural reasons are among those likely to use the facility but also older women, those who feel self-conscious about their bodies and women recovering from injury or illness such as breast cancer.”

At least one Muslim mother had contacted the government as she could not take her child to swimming lessons because neither she nor her husband felt comfortable being in a public pool. ''When you're going to learn-to-swim classes now they like the parents to be in the water with the children. For women, that's not possible because of the modesty aspects and for the father to get in a swimming group with other women is an issue as well,''

I was listening to the radio when this was bring discussed and interestedly most listeners did not like the idea (comments in the newspaper are very similar) —they felt it was a backwards step in our society and not necessary.  A few men asked about male only pools and whether there would be an outcry if one was proposed, considered discrimination. A few thought that if Islamic women didn't like the way we did things, then "go home" or get use to it etc... 

We already have female only gyms (Fernwood gym is one of the bigger ones) and female only swimming lessons, is this any different?

Would you go to a female only pool? I don't swim very much and I am comfortable going to a community pool if I went, which I generally don't.

What isn’t explained is taking your son to the pool and at what age that would become a problem.

Interesting thought!

Comments

  1. How very interesting...why not? Now there would be a time for boys not to come, but I would love for my boys to only swim where there were other boys...due to the fact of the lack of clothing on the females.
    To think of it...I would like modesty to come back into style....can you hear the talk shows on that?

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  2. Janette - what a radical idea!!!! Yes, we should bring back modesty. I am getting tired of seeing mini skirts that cover NOTHING AT ALL.

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  3. LOL! Well this would certainly take care of modesty, wouldn't it - I mean what girl would dress/act sensually at a girl's swimming pool (apart from the obvious disgusting answer to that question)? Obviously young girls who want to show off their body wouldn't be at a pool like that (preferring the unisex option), but mothers who want their daughters to be modest would take their daughters there... But it doesn't solve the problem for when our sons get older. You're ^^ both right, we need a radical swing to modesty to solve THAT one.

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  4. Clara - with my sons 5 years apart it would create a problem. By the time my youngest was 5, my eldest would be 10 - which pool would he swim in. Modesty in all pools would be the solution - but that isn't likely to happen!!!!

    it is an interesting concept though:)

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  5. We go to mixed swimming lessons with the Homeschool group here and find the modesty level appropriate. A young friend was going to a pool party on which the invitation asked that everyone wear a shirt over swim clothes. I don't think we need seperate pools but do feel for parents trying to teach young children especially in our climate. Keeping cool is a major occupation here :-)

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    1. When we lived in Darwin we saw so many young women going off to the shops in a sarong and bikini top, it was so common we hardly noticed after a while!

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  6. Nice! I was just thinking the same as I sat here by a public pool seeing Muslim women sitting in the back. What a good idea! I hope it happens

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    1. Sadly it hasn't, many people complained about the idea.

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  7. Hi, I hit on this while googling for female only swimming pools. I am a muslim lady and yes I cannot go to mixed pools for religious, cultural and modesty reasons. I think it runs in my blood that I have to wear modest clothes. Thank you.. Enjoyed reading the post and the comments. shahrazadak@yahoo.com

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    1. Thankyou for stopping by. Sadly the idea hasn't happened and many people complained about the idea. There are Christian women who also like modesty and our public pools are no place for that these days. Do we really want our sons seeing half naked women, no we don't.

      Lovely to meet you:)

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