It depends on what kind of weeds are in your garden. If you are pruning roses or removing thistles, then sturdy work gloves will be helpful to keep you from getting pricked by the thorns. Gloves will also protect your hands if you’re applying chemicals to kill the weeds. But if your garden doesn’t have prickly weeds and you don’t plan to use herbicide, then you should be safe to pull weeds barehanded. Some gardeners get a sense of satisfaction when they get their hands dirty. I’m not exactly sure why but perhaps it has to do with a feeling of accomplishment. We wrote a blog giving a full scale analysis on the 10 Best Gardening Gloves.