There is a significant body of research that examines the antecedents and consequences of population-level disparities in physical activity engagement. However, there are still vast gendered inequalities with women missing out on the associated health benefits of physical activity compared to men. The purpose of this study is to foster a deep understanding of the ‘fear of judgement’ experienced by physically inactive women to develop policy and practice that can attend to this issue. The theory of reflexive embodiment, rooted in the interactionist tradition, provides the theoretical underpinning for the work as it highlights how women's bodies are influenced by the gaze of others. Results demonstrate that women feel judged for the way their bodies look and move during exercise, for prioritising physical activity over family duties, and that these sensations are influenced by the networks of people in activity spaces. The impact of judgement affects women's mental and physical wellbeing. It leads to the cessation of physical activity, creates worries about restarting various forms of activity and shapes how and where women undertake exercise.

有大量研究调查了体育活动参与中人口水平差异的前因和后果。然而，与男性相比，女性在体育活动的相关健康益处方面仍然存在巨大的性别不平等。本研究的目的是加深对缺乏身体活动的女性所经历的“对判断的恐惧”的深刻理解，以制定可以解决这个问题的政策和实践。根植于互动主义传统的反身化身理论为这项工作提供了理论基础，因为它强调了女性的身体如何受到他人注视的影响。结果表明，女性在锻炼时会因为身体的外观和运动方式而受到评判，因为他们将身体活动置于家庭责任之上，并且这些感觉受到活动空间中人际网络的影响。判断的影响会影响女性的身心健康。它导致身体活动的停止，产生对重新开始各种形式的活动的担忧，并影响女性进行锻炼的方式和地点。