In accordance with European models, at the end of the second half of the 19th century gymnastic and sport clubs started to emerge in Slovenia; they were the first providers of organised and expertly guided sport training. It started out as an exclusively male domain, because society still perceived the female body as fragile and vulnerable. Consequently, it was made harder for women to engage in sports. Despite that, the first women's sport (gymnastic) society was created in Slovenia in 1901. Gymnastics and sport became cultural novelties that offered women the chance to assert themselves, both individually and socially, and helped to change the traditional stereotypes about women, their social roles, and the activities suitable for them.