Women’s running shoes are different from men’s, e the difference is not only the color. Indeed, color is just a marketing ploy that hides a truth that is not always explicit: women’s running shoes are structurally different from men’s. This fact has two consequences: generally men should not buy women’s running shoes (an unlikely fact due to the numbers, but not impossible); generally women should not use men’s running shoes, which is more probable and indeed often frequent. Now, subject to exceptions (men of short stature and with “short” and thin feet or tall women and with consequently “large” feet) between men and women there are irrefutable anatomical differences which also affect motor skills, as we all realize even at first glance and as demonstrated by the study Gender differences in adult foot shape: implications for shoe design conducted by Center for Locomotion Studies della Penssylvania State University. Ma It’s not just height and weight that differentiate men and women, and consequently the way they walk and run and therefore also the design of running shoes. In particular, the differences concern:
- Foot width and length
- Instep
- Q angle (or Quadriceps angle)
- Plantar arch
- Foot support dynamics during running
Women’s running shoes are different from men’s
Shape, in the sense of length and width of the foot, mobility of the ankle, bone structure of the foot, less weight for women with the same height, less ability to express force in women with the same height and weight, and a proportionally wider pelvis in women they cause the way to run to be profoundly different. And what then women need specific shoes that are different from those for men. But let’s see in detail why women’s running shoes are different from men’s.
Running shoes for men and women weigh the same
Meanwhile, let’s refute what everyone thinks is the main difference and which is not: in reality, men’s and women’s running shoes weigh the same. The confusion arises from the fact that normally, as weight, the brands indicate that of the median number for each gender, usually 9 in the USA for men (which is more or less the 42 in Europe) and 7 for women (which is the 38 in Europe). But the best thing is always to think in centimeters of length and normalizing to 27 centimeters (precisely 9 US for men, which becomes 10.5 for women) or 24 cm (precisely 7 US for women, which becomes 5.5 US for men) then the true weight of the shoes is usually very close if not identical.
Women’s running shoes are narrower than men’s
And this is true: with the same numbering, or rather length expressed in centimeters, women’s running shoes are narrower than men’s. And by tight we mean the width in the heel area but also the volume of the upper, that is the upper part of fabric – usually synthetic, technical and breathable – which covers the shoe. Now, women have thinner heels than men (again for the same length of the foot, this is the premise for any discussion) and this depends on the fact that the bones of a female foot are thinner and lighter (which also translates into a different support, generally more than the midfoot and less heel than the average male).
In terms of measurement codes, it is said that the width for women is B, while that for men is D (it is a technical curiosity which however gives a good idea). Plus thinner and lighter bones also translate into a less volume at the level of the collar (let’s say more or less where the laces tie), which is why the models of women’s running shoes have a lower volume of the upper.
Women have longer toes
Yes, generally and with the same numbering, women have longer toes than men. This often translates into a different proportion of the lacing space (which, as we will see later, must also accommodate greater flexibility at the forefoot level) and also into a different curvature between the inside and outside of the shoe compared to men’s models, to avoid excessive rubbing of the fingers against the upper. When this difference is taken into account, placing two shoes of different kinds but the same model and brand side by side, they should result in a different length between the toe and the start of the lacing. Which explains why a woman shouldn’t wear a man’s model (and vice versa).
A woman’s forefoot is more flexible than a man’s
Another reason why women’s running shoes are different from men’s is that A woman’s forefoot is more flexible than a man’s. This too derives from the fact that the bones are thinner and lighter, and therefore more flexible, and translates into different running mechanics and therefore into different needs at the level of the sole, which in the front part must be more flexible to better accommodate the transition and thrust. Flexibility you normally get with a different sole groove geometry, or with deeper groovesso comparing the soles of the same model in the W and M versions they should be different.
Women have proportionally larger pelvis
There is little to discuss about this, women have proportionally larger pelvis, and it is nature that established it for the needs of childbirth. But when it comes to racing this means a different angle between hip and knee compared to man (it’s called the Q angle, or quadriceps angle, and is the one formed between the line of force of the quadriceps muscle and that of the patellar tendon). It tends to be 5th / 7th more in women. The consequence? A excessive tendency to supinationthat is, to support above all the outside of the foot, which can cause overload injuries and which brands tend to compensate with a different modulation of the material in the midsole.
Women weigh proportionally less
Let’s take a man and a woman of equal height, equal foot length and equal morphology: the woman will weigh less than the man. This is given by the thinnest bones but also by one less muscle mass, usually about 15%compared to men. It goes without saying that the women’s shoe, number being equal, will have to support 15% less weight, and this also translates here into a different modulation of the midsole materials and often also in their different densities. In practice, if the same midsole were used for women, there would be a heightened cushioning effect, however not necessary given the lower weight, and a reduced push effect, which instead is also needed by virtue of the lower ability to express force (again of anthropometric data, i.e. height and foot length, as well as weight).
Sometimes women’s running shoes have multiple drops
If it is true that women express less strength, that they have more flexibility in the forefoot due to thinner and lighter bones, that they support the heel less also due to a lower flexibility of the Achilles tendon, then it is understandable why the same model of running shoe has more drops – i.e. difference in height of the midsole between heel and toe – in the female version compared to the male one.
Women’s running shoes also have a more pronounced arch
This is also the anatomy to say: if generally and on equal terms a woman’s arch is more pronouncedthen it goes without saying that the female versions of running shoes will have a greater plantar arch at the insole and/or midsole level, to promote greater flexibility of the forefoot and also ensure greater support in the thrust phase.
The collar of a women’s running shoe is shorter
Did we mention that women’s bones are thinner than men’s? Well, at the ankle level this translates into a thinner ankle, less bulky. Consequently, a women’s running shoe that wants to fit perfectly will also have a shorter collar, or let’s say with a narrower circumference, compared to an equal men’s size.
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