South Korea gym ban on ‘aunties’ sparks an ageism row

A gym in South Korea has banned misbehaving “aunties”, reigniting a debate about discrimination against older women in the country.

The gym in Incheon city near the capital Seoul put up a sign that read “off limits to ajummas” and “only cultivated and elegant women allowed”.

Ajumma is a catch-all term for older women – typically late-30s onwards – but is also a pejorative for behaviour that is seen as rude or obnoxious.

Local reports did not name the gym or its owner, who defended the move, claiming that his company had “suffered damages” because of these women and their unruly behaviour.

“[Some older women customers] would spend an hour or two in the changing room to do their laundry, steal items including towels, soaps, or hair dryers,” he said in a televised interview with South Korean news agency Yonhap.

“They would sit in a row and comment and judge other people’s bodies,” he said, adding that some younger women have quit the gym because of these comments, which upset them or made them uncomfortable.

While the move was made by a single gym, it seems to have struck a nerve because in recent years, South Korean businesses have drawn flak for banning children or seniors from certain public places.

Some of this has been seen as proof of growing intolerance for specific age groups.

The gym has also drawn criticism for conflating bad behaviour with women of a certain age.

“How did the term ‘bad customer’ become the same as ‘ajumma’?”, read one comment on local social media website instiz.

“If you have worked in the service industry, you’d know that it’s not just older women who fall into those categories.”

Another comment described the move as a sign of outdated attitudes, calling it “sentiments of the early 2000s”.