Gym Charges Female Members Less, Customers Debate Gender Equality

A gym in Lake Orion, Michigan, aims to combat gender pay disparities by having male members pay more than females.

The Gym Lake Orion had an advertisement published on the front page of the Ad-Vertise, a local newspaper, that detailed the women-only deal, according to the Detroit Free Press. The promotion, however, was created by the gym "in the interest of fairness."

"Ever wonder why XYXX? WE DO! The Gym values its male members tremendously but we don't value them a THIRD more than our female members," the advertisement read, according to The Associated Press.

Rich Garvin, the gym's owner, believes that the membership price adjustment is more than fair to male and female members.

"On the surface, it can seem like yeah it's unfair to charge men something different than you would charge women," Garvin told WDIV. "I think when you understand the background of it, if you understand that, this is something that's going on, as far as the pay gap, women getting paid considerably less than men, for doing the same job."

The gym's monthly membership price isn't expected to rise. Male customers will still be able to pay $30 a month to use the workout facility. Women, however, will be able to pay $20 for a discounted monthly membership while also avoiding a hefty membership fee.

"You can get a $30 a month membership," Garvin said to the Detroit Free Press. "Having a discount, encouraging women to come in, in an attempt to make it a little easier for them to do so, I think is a good business practice and just the right thing to do."

The discounted membership plan has received mixed feedback on social media. While some users argued that Garvin's concept "makes sense to me," there were many others who claimed that it "sounds unequal still."

Heidi Weger, a member of the Michigan gym, fully supports the membership price change because it's being modified "for a just cause," according to Detroit Free Press. Kevin Laidler, a male member of the gym, told WDIV that he didn't mind the change, saying: "I'll gladly pay more than a female counterpart if it helps them out."