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Why women don’t cycle?

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  • June 11, 2018 at 12:32 pm #28610
    ManchesterRider

    Did you know that 75% of cyclists are male? 

    Cycling provides an opportunity to substitute the car for a healthier option. It doesn’t require fuel, it contributes to an active healthy lifestyle, and saves reduces the huge air pollution problem in the UK.

    I am trying to investigate why the gender imbalance exists in cycling in the UK, as in countries such as Germany and The Netherlands women cycle as much as men; furthermore, cycling is a popular mode of transport in these countries.

    So what do you think are the main reasons behind this? Some contributing factors that have emerged in my research are;
     

    Harrasment (verbal abuse, funny looks, sexual harrasment)
    Lack of confidence
    Fear of traffic
    Not wanting to break a sweat / potentially mess your hair etc
    Distance
    Weather
    Lack of cycle lanes
    hills
    Not knowing enough about bicycle maintence
    Bikes are too expensive, not sure where to get a 2nd hand one

    Would love to hear your views, please feel free to reply, the more detail the better!

    Hopefully my research can contribute to achieving a gender parity in UK cycling!

    Best wishes,

    George
    University of Manchester

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  • June 11, 2018 at 4:05 pm #921281
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    LastBoyScout

    To answer your points:

    To answer your points:

    • Harrasment (verbal abuse, funny looks, sexual harrasment)
      My wife is used to being beeped/whistled at when she’s out running, so probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid at the same when on a bike.
    • Lack of confidence
      To some extent – she’s not that great with the gears and worries about being in the wrong gear at the wrong time, but that would come with experience.
    • Fear of traffic
      Yes – we got rather close passed when we were out together by some impatient idiot, which didn’t help. We are reasonably lucky that there are plenty of shared use paths and bike lanes around us, but they don’t always go where you want to.

      Both these points enhanced now by cycling with a kiddy seat.
       

    • Not wanting to break a sweat / potentially mess your hair etc
      Not really.
    • Distance.
      To some extent.
    • Weather
      Definitely – she really suffers from Raynauds when it’s cold.
    • Lack of cycle lanes
      Not too bad around here.
    • hills
      To some extent, but not too bad around here for short trips.
    • Not knowing enough about bicycle maintence
      A bit – punctures are a worry, but everything else would get handed to me anyway. That includes both my sisters.
    • Bikes are too expensive, not sure where to get a 2nd hand one.
      Not really, but then 2 of hers are new and I bought her the 3rd.

    The main things putting my wife off cycling as an option for many car journeys are time, distance, luggage, kids and weather.

    Can’t really understand why my sister does’t cycle to work, as it’s only about 4 miles. I’ll ask her when I get a minute.

    June 11, 2018 at 4:04 pm #921279
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    Simon E
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    srchar wrote:
    The main difference between cycling in Germany/Netherlands and the UK is the quality of cycling infrastructure. That’s really all it boils down to.

    Seconded.

    And thirded.

     

    Long version:

    You only have to look back through the news on road.cc about commuting, the close passes videos. Better still, read what the cycling advocate orgs and individuals have been saying for years – Cycling UK, Carlton Reid of Bikebiz, Chris Boardman, West Midlands RPU and many more.

    The one thing you’ll repeatedly see is the need for safe cycling infrastructure because many people want to cycle more but are scared of riding in traffic. It’s not about “sharing the road”, “mutual respect” and all that bollocks. They just want to feel safe and for cycling to be convenient – not having to negotiate a long, convoluted route around some winding back streets (where aggressive drivers can still drive at them or force them too close to parked cars), through a narrow gateway, dismounting over a footbridge etc etc….

    I’m not a woman so can’t say much about gender-specific issues but, based on what I’ve heard, I can imagine there’s an additional level of vulnerability being female on a bike.

    Bikes aren’t expensive; yes the ones promoted by cycling magazines are expensive (along with the impression of needing ‘all the gear’) but compared to a smartphone, tablet or whatever, normal bikes aren’t. And certainly not when compared to the cost of running a car, motorbike or scooter. But most brands don’t sell them as practical transport.

    June 11, 2018 at 3:19 pm #921277
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    Shades

    Chris Boardman did a good

    Chris Boardman did a good piece on Utrecht in the ITV coverage of the 2015 TdF.  His line was, “I didn’t see cyclists, I saw people in normal clothes on bicycles”.  If (current) cycling in the UK had it’s roots in a ‘mode of transport’ with all the enabling pieces (eg infrastructure, behavour, laws etc) in place, as opposed to being grown out of ‘cycling as a sport/fitness activity’, I reckon there would be more women cyclists.

    June 11, 2018 at 2:40 pm #921275
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    HowardR

    Hi ManchesterRider,

    Hi ManchesterRider,

    Firtsly – thirded on the infrastructure.

    The following stream of conciousness guff is largely based on what I see whlist walking through inner London. I make no claims to it being generally applicable…

    First an observation – when cycling is used as a mode of transport  it is, as I understand it, often much more ‘Sport’ orientated than it is in countries such as the Netherlands. Lycra, Helmet & Chain Gang of fellow commuters seems to be the norm for many people.

    I’d be intrested to know the mean/meadian/modal commuting distances of commuters in the U.K compared to more sensible places …. possibly a function of housing costs?

    A number of items on your list could be equally well be applied to running, yet running seems to have a much higher rate of female participation. On a few occasions I’ve tried to keep a  tally of male & female runners (who seem to be commuting, ruck sack e.t.c) as I trudge my way from station to work <yes! I do need to get out more> and on occasion there have been more female runners than male runners.

    and…. a number of the items on your list could be applied to horse ridding – but when I’m out on my bike & encounter a horse & ride 85% + of the time the rider is female.

    and…. I’m betting that the clear majority of the replies that you’ll get here will be posted by males

     

    June 11, 2018 at 1:47 pm #921273
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    hawkinspeter
    srchar wrote:
    The main difference between cycling in Germany/Netherlands and the UK is the quality of cycling infrastructure. That’s really all it boils down to.

    Seconded.

    June 11, 2018 at 1:36 pm #921271
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    srchar

    The main difference between

    The main difference between cycling in Germany/Netherlands and the UK is the quality of cycling infrastructure. That’s really all it boils down to.

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