Way more men than women cycling commuting

[shootingstar]

I live and work downtown plus cycle-commute daily

To me, it looks like alot more men cycle in general.

Sigh, it gets kind of boring to see this.

[limewave]

I've been cycling for 8-9 years now. And there are ALOT more women riding now than there was back then. I used to be the only woman that showed up to the group rides.

Finding women to mountain bike with is still a struggle, but I never have problem finding ladies to do a road ride with :)

But yeah, there's definitely room for women to join in!

[redrhodie]

On the group ride I do, we have about equal # of men and women. I suspect there are more male commuters, due to our immigrant workers who ride every day, year round. They seem to be mostly men.

[trista]

I would imagine that fewer commuting women also has a lot to do with the fact that there are more men in the workforce than women. Plus, for the women that ARE in the workforce, there are risks/issues to commuting to work that a lot of women don't want to deal with: helmet hair, carrying/changing into non-cycling work clothes, the risks of riding alone...

For group rides, probably has a lot to do with women being moms. I know when I was a SAHM, I never had the chance to do group rides because i so rarely had any kind of alignment between my childcare schedule and group ride schedules.

[shootingstar]

My observations in my city is in reference to Calgary...they are behind in cycling infrastructure (but abit better now compared to 10 yrs. ago) and sheer cycling numbers compared to VAncovuer and Toronto where I have lived, cycle-commuted to work for over 8 years in each of these other cities.


On the group ride I do, we have about equal # of men and women. I suspect there are more male commuters, due to our immigrant workers who ride every day, year round. They seem to be mostly men.

Redhodie: The guys I see commuting are wearing cycling gear and riding bikes with gearing. I don't know of their citizenship background. We are at the height of good summer weather and still...hardly any women cycle commuting. It's not winter or lousy early spring.

For every 10 rider or more, I see a woman cyclist.

In fact, where I work in my organization, it wouldn't surprise me that it is our organization that may have higher% of women cycle-commuting. And we are located near bike paths.


I would imagine that fewer commuting women also has a lot to do with the fact that there are more men in the workforce than women. Plus, for the women that ARE in the workforce, there are risks/issues to commuting to work that a lot of women don't want to deal with: helmet hair, carrying/changing into non-cycling work clothes, the risks of riding alone...

For group rides, probably has a lot to do with women being moms. I know when I was a SAHM, I never had the chance to do group rides because i so rarely had any kind of alignment between my childcare schedule and group ride schedules.


I actually think in the city for the past 18 yrs. that I've been cycle commuting in 3 major metropolitan cities, with each over 1 million people and also riding in quiet parks, in early morning and night time darkness, I actually feel SAFER as a woman alone on bike compared to jogging/walking alone.

True sschedule and locationalignment between cycle commuting and childcare /daycare can be challenge. But depends on where one lives in relation to work and daycare. I'm not being facetious, I knew several different mothers and fathers who cycled their child to daycare in the trailer.

Trista I actually rarely cycle in groups. Over the years I only cycled with my partner 60% of time or less. It was scheduling difference, activities and different job locations.

There were some years, it was 90% alone cycling in the city and I would be doing rides solo 40-100 kms. (Yes, I live in big city areas. I don't need to go into rural areas to do 100 kms.)

[jessmarimba]

The biggest reason I don't bike commute more often? Because then I can't run after work.

I run by my office, but not close enough by that I want to bike back to the office to pick stuff up after a run. If I bike to work, and want to stop and run on the way home, I have to either leave all of my belongings unattended with my bike, or run with a pack full of all of my valuables.

Or I ride home from work, get in the car, and drive back to the trails that are close to the office, which is just a waste. (And my neighborhood isn't safe to run in alone, so that isn't an option)

[sfa]

I think the other thing that plays into this (didn't we discuss this recently? I'm having some deja-vu going on here) is that women tend to have more responsibility for child care, so they are the ones picking up and dropping off at daycare, taking kids to after-school activities, leaving work midday to take kids to dentist and doctor appointments, etc. They are also the ones "on call" when a child gets sick and has to be picked up from daycare or school during the day. I commute by bike one or two days a week, but for a long time I didn't bike commute at all because every single day from 3:00 - 4:15 I had to make a run to my son's school (15 miles away from work), take him to his after-school program (7 miles from his school), then go back to my office (another 16 miles). DH was an hour away at his new job. Now DH is working from home most days, so I'm able to manage the commute by bike, but it'll never be a full time thing until the kids are out of the house.

One related thing I've noticed--when I get up at 5:30 to run or ride, women outnumber men by about 4 to 1, at least among runners (and generally among people out at that time of day at all for exercise--I only see one or two other cyclists when I'm out in the early morning, and the occasional dog walker). In the evening, it's more evenly split, and at night (when *I* walk my dog) it's all men running, never women.

[badger]

this topic was in the newspaper the other day, how only 40% of the commuters by bicycle were women, and how the city wanted more women participating.

The next day in the Ops/Ed section, a reader commented along the lines of women not cycling because they have childcare before and/or after work, and another reason she said was that she didn't want helmet head. We can scoff at that, but to some it's important to not look ruffled at work.

[indysteel]

I would imagine that fewer commuting women also has a lot to do with the fact that there are more men in the workforce than women. Plus, for the women that ARE in the workforce, there are risks/issues to commuting to work that a lot of women don't want to deal with: helmet hair, carrying/changing into non-cycling work clothes, the risks of riding alone...

For group rides, probably has a lot to do with women being moms. I know when I was a SAHM, I never had the chance to do group rides because i so rarely had any kind of alignment between my childcare schedule and group ride schedules.


It depends on the statistic, but the disparity between men and women in the workforce isn't huge. I just get the sense that fewer women ride bikes. Period. I imagine part of it relates to demands childrearing, but I think there's more to it than that. I've read too many "how do I get my wife to ride with me threads" to think that it's just about kids. I tend to think there's a stronger perception among women that it's unsafe or overly difficult, complicated and/or intimidating. Of course, I have no statistics to back this up; it's just what I've gathered after years of reading bike forums.

[badger]

It depends on the statistic, but the disparity between men and women in the workforce isn't huge. I just get the sense that fewer women ride bikes. Period. I imagine part of it relates to demands childrearing, but I think there's more to it than that. I've read too many "how do I get my wife to ride with me threads" to think that it's just about kids. I tend to think there's a stronger perception among women that it's unsafe or overly difficult, complicated and/or intimidating. Of course, I have no statistics to back this up; it's just what I've gathered after years of reading bike forums.

I also think too, that if they're girly-girl and really into make up and hair and afraid of chipping their nails, they're not going to be inclined to ride a bike. I know a few women like that.

[Crankin]

The number of women riding around here has skyrocketed since I started riding in 2000. Even my son noticed this when he came to visit a few years ago, after riding in the late nineties until 2003. I see all kinds of women riding, road bikes, hybrids, beginners, serious roadies. I see women commuting, too.
However, when I ride at 5:30 AM alone, or with DH, the groups I see riding are men. I see a few lone women here and there. I drive along a newer bike trail on the way home from work and at this time of year, there are lots of women there, running or riding hybrids, cruisers. This is good.
Of course, even though we don't have a huge cycling infrastructure, this is a cycling mecca of sorts. Every year it gets bigger and bigger.

[ultraviolet]

I also think too, that if they're girly-girl and really into make up and hair and afraid of chipping their nails, they're not going to be inclined to ride a bike. I know a few women like that.

I'm a girly-girl. Always in dresses or skirts. Love makeup and cute hair. And get really annoyed when one of my nails gets chipped. I also love riding my many bikes. Just sayin'...there's a thing about books and covers that comes to mind here.

[7rider]

FWIW...
At our recent bike to work day festivities, over 40% of the 70+ riders were women. Most say that they are regular or frequent bike commuters.
That said, most - from observation - are young, generally single or childless, and I do work for an environmentally slanted agency.
I have had men tell me that they bike commuted less frequently due to child care concerns.
On our group ride, there may be 20 men, and only 3 women. But one of those women can dust just about any guy out there and at rest stops, pulls out her lipstick to "freshen up".
And my DH - who rides - plays classical guitar, and he HATES it when he chips a nail. Way worse than I do.

[Thorn]

I tend to agree with sfa and that it has to do with childcare. I keep tabs of the commuters that I see on my ride and also see about 10 to 1, male to female. But one thing I've noticed is that female cyclists are either young 20-somethings or older 55+. Rarely do I see women in between.

Also, I rde from the suburbs into downtown. While I see guys in the suburbs, the women are extremely rare; in the downtown area, young women, including women dressed in skirts are common, probably making up 30-40% of the commuters. Again, coming back to child care -- an urban, bike commutable lifestyle works until you have kids. Then, there the tendancy to move to the 'burbs and the longer commute just doesn't cut within the time constraints.

But, I just play statistician and sociologist during my commute....really, I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I love to observe and count....

ETA....but in Wisconsin's commuter challenge, the current points leader is female ( http://www.endomondo.com/?wicket:interface=:3:::: ) and 3 of the top 10 are female.

[indysteel]

I'm a girly-girl. Always in dresses or skirts. Love makeup and cute hair. And get really annoyed when one of my nails gets chipped. I also love riding my many bikes. Just sayin'...there's a thing about books and covers that comes to mind here.

I'm a girly girly to some extent, too, although I wear my nails too short to chip them, but I also don't mind getting sweaty, messy, dirty, etc. on a bike, hike or run. But I know plenty of women--girly girls and tomboys alike--who simply don't find it very appealing to work up a hard sweat. They also aren't inclined to get out of their comfort zones, physically or emotionally. That explains some of their relunctance to ride a bike. But it's so hard they say!

[Crankin]

I totally agree with you, Indy. I wear makeup and don't like chipped nails, but I also love getting dirty. No one would call me a girly-girl. And I have been getting out of my comfort zone much more lately.

[shootingstar]

Indy: I tend to think there's a stronger perception among women that it's unsafe or overly difficult, complicated and/or intimidating. Of course, I have no statistics to back this up; it's just what I've gathered after years of reading bike forums.


itself: On our group ride, there may be 20 men, and only 3 women. But one of those women can dust just about any guy out there and at rest stops, pulls out her lipstick to "freshen up".

Thorn: I tend to agree with sfa and that it has to do with childcare. I keep tabs of the commuters that I see on my ride and also see about 10 to 1, male to female. But one thing I've noticed is that female cyclists are either young 20-somethings or older 55+. Rarely do I see women in between.


One of the things that held me back from returning to cycling initially was that I viewed a bike with gearing as a "technical" piece of equipment that I had to learn. I had no one to ask...until I met dearie but not in a cycling context initially at all. The gearing was a mystery to me since I had a one-speed bike as a child. Of course this is not confirming that women are less technically oriented ...it's how some women were socialized as girls.

But now with computers and some girls getting used to technology at a younger age, a bike should be less of a mystery.

Wow, a great roadie woman who freshens up her lipstick during her ride. I haven't quite met someone like that yet.

I agree Thorn, that I also see it's either younger women or women with grown children, who might appear to have greater schedule flexibility to cycle commute.

In my social group of good female friends (over 80% don't have children, they are older women, ages 50-70) that I know, most of the women I've known before I returned to cycling, choose other types of regular exercise. They are all users of public transit but also drive or choose to rent a car. Only 1 long-term friend cycles often. She has no children.

However I've known a few (not many) committed women cycle-commuting and cycling for transportation several times/week who have children....these women belong to cycling advocacy organizations.

[Thorn]

However I've known a few (not many) committed women cycle-commuting and cycling for transportation several times/week who have children....these women belong to cycling advocacy organizations.

Now that you mention it, the one woman I met on the commute with kids was quite commited to the idea, but she talked about having to coordinate with her kids and get them to help her out with the schedule change.

[badger]

ok, point taken. I guess I'm a tomboy who isn't into dressing up and wearing make up so my apologies in painting the girly girl riders with the same brush :o

I've ridden my cyclrocross in a dress as well, but I don't consider myself a girly girl.

[Owlie]

I agree that childcare is definitely a factor in both commuting and recreational riding (or not, as the case may be). Fear is too--of the mechanical and of being hit. Figuring out gears was kind of intimidating, since the last bike I had was a single-speed kid's bike with a coaster hub. The prospect of changing a tube myself was also pretty intimidating. I had a moment of "WHAT DO I DO?!" on Thursday when I got a flat tire, and I know I know what to do, because I've changed several. I think women tend, for whatever reason, to be socialized to be/intrinsically are (like many behavioral tendencies, I believe it's a combination) more cautious.

There may also be a body image thing at play for some women. Perhaps some feel that they need to wear lycra in order to participate, and they find the thought of being seen in public in spandex mortifying, or at least uncomfortable. I also remember seeing an article in Cooking Light. There's a regular feature called "I tried it", involving either exercise or some kind of spa treatment or something. This particular article featured spinning. The author of the column said that she initially didn't want to try it because she was afraid that it would make her thighs huge. Make of that what you will.

On childcare and recreational (not-commuting) riding: I remember reading an interview with a woman who's a former racer and now a coach (or something of the sort). I cannot remember her name or where I read the interview, unfortunately--I pasted this quote into an e-mail I sent to my BF:

“The reality is—and this is my experience coaching lots of people—is that if a guy wants to go out for a three hour ride, he doesn't say, 'Will you want the kids for 3 hrs?' Whereas when a woman wants to spend that kind of time on a bike, there's a negotiation that goes on with their partner or whoever who can watch the kid. So there's always that. And then there's a limited amount of time that they have—at least as far as elite cycling goes—an limited amount of time to make or break before they decide whether they're going to move on to something else.”




I've ridden my carbon roadie in a dress. And it wasn't a cycling dress or skort!

Rode it downtown. One-piece jersey dress that went past my knees. Mavic shoes. Giro helmet.


That's awesome. I could not pull that off.

[PamNY]

The biggest male/female difference I see is in tolerance of inclement weather. Seems that fewer women are out when it's cold or rainy.

Quite a few people react with surprise when I go out in winter.

[radacrider]

A little bit ago I read this article on this very topic. http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-06-20-bicyclings-gender-gap-its-the-economy-stupid

Societal and cultural expectations play a significant role for women that is not fully applied to the men's side - and I believe this is true beyond bike commuting.

An area's bicycling infrastructure plays a role as well as geography. I have talked with a few new or interested commuters and Portland has a few obstacles - getting across the Willamette River (and not being overrun by the bike commuters who tend toward the inconsiderate side), the hills, some of the confusing road ways and required connections to get around the freeway interchanges, 2-way to 1-way convergences. I am approached on those issues by more women than men.

My work place has a casual dress code, but I see women more likely to be dressed above the "code" than men. So I do think that plays into the expectations and what it takes to successfully bike commute on a regular basis.

We do have lockers and showers, which is a big help and we have indoor, secure parking. Of that, however, the rack system requires lifting the bike. This is a challenge for some due the the height of the racks, weight of the bike (we have 2 commuters with electric assist bikes). We also have an overflow area located on the 3rd floor (2nd of 2 floors of parking). This entails taking your bike to the freight elevator (not far from the indoor bike room) or riding up the 2 ramps.

The cool thing now is one of our VPs has started some bike commuting and has offered to be an advocate for improvements. So, I am meeting with some local, successful program managers on how they have managed facilities. I think if we work to have thoughtful solutions we can address areas that for men have been no big deal.

Since our company's move to downtown Portland and because I am so excited that I have the opportunity to bike commute every day I seem to have also become our bike advocate so I am hoping to make changes and improvements that address some of the barriers.

[shootingstar]

Of that, however, the rack system requires lifting the bike. This is a challenge for some due the the height of the racks, weight of the bike

Hanging bike hooks or something involves lifting bike high enough onto rack..I just dislike those systems intensely. I'm 5'1" and I'm not going to be continuously strong in my upper body (even if I got stronger) @ 52 yrs. and onward.

Isn't just designing cycling support systems for women....but for people who want to cycle a huge part of their lifespan.

Well, I guess it just means cycling for me no matter who cycles also.

[Becky]

There's also the personal safety implications of commuting, and I wonder how much of that factors in for other women. My commute takes me through some rough neighborhoods. I'm fortunate to work in the same building as DH, so I always have a commute buddy. Other women aren't so lucky...

[limewave]

“The reality is—and this is my experience coaching lots of people—is that if a guy wants to go out for a three hour ride, he doesn't say, 'Will you want the kids for 3 hrs?' Whereas when a woman wants to spend that kind of time on a bike, there's a negotiation that goes on with their partner or whoever who can watch the kid. So there's always that. And then there's a limited amount of time that they have—at least as far as elite cycling goes—an limited amount of time to make or break before they decide whether they're going to move on to something else.”

SO true! My DH isn't near as bad as other husbands I know, but it's still the mentality that I need to ask him to "babysit" his own children! Even though we both work full-time jobs, I'm still the "caretaker" and he's the "Bread-winner". He runs a family business and often works 12 hour days, sometimes 6 days a week. If I want to go for a bike ride, I either take the kids with me or schedule a babysitter. It is a lot to coordinate and you have to be dedicated. There's a lot of sacrifice and compromise involved.

I have a friend and they've worked it out so that they each get two evenings a week:M & W, T & R. They take turns. On Sundays he goes for a ride in the AM and she in the PM. It's worked out well for them.

[indysteel]

“The reality is—and this is my experience coaching lots of people—is that if a guy wants to go out for a three hour ride, he doesn't say, 'Will you want the kids for 3 hrs?' Whereas when a woman wants to spend that kind of time on a bike, there's a negotiation that goes on with their partner or whoever who can watch the kid. So there's always that. And then there's a limited amount of time that they have—at least as far as elite cycling goes—an limited amount of time to make or break before they decide whether they're going to move on to something else.”

Based on what my friends share, this doesn't surprise me a bit. It makes me sad.

We finally added a child watch program at the Y where I serve on the board. For a a long time, we just didn't have space, but we were able to carve out some space as part of a bigger remodel. It's been beyond popular. This Y is not a family Y per se, so it wasn't completely clear to us if our demographic (youngish, urban, a lot of singles) would use it. They have. In droves. It makes me happy to provide a service that allows moms (and dads) to work out and have some badly needed "me" time. Plus, they're setting a good example for their kids.

[molliewog]

Safety concerns are the #1 reason I don't commute. This is 2 fold:

1. I work downtown. Utah drivers can be disrespectful enough when you are in a car, let alone a bike without a bike lane. I don't feel comfortable with the routes available to get to my office. Winter weather would only compound this.

2. Personal safety. Granted Salt Lake isn't nearly as dangerous as many big cities, I'm still leery of some areas.

Changing clothes, hair, etc. don't bother me. My bike could hang out in my cube all day. I don't have kids at the moment, so child care isn't a factor. It's exclusively safety.

[jessmarimba]

I will add that I don't particularly like having nasty hair all day. My head sweats when I ride. A lot. And my hair takes forEVER to dry, so washing it in the sink in the common bathroom at work isn't really a great idea either (my office shares a building with a lot of other tenants).

At least it fits in a ponytail now, but it still looks disheveled for the rest of the day if I bike commute.

Some days I don't care (I don't have to dress up for work) but sometimes I just get tired of looking gross in public. I don't think I could bike commute at all if I had to look human at my job.

[Antaresia]

I do see more men than women on my daily commute. When I'm doing after-work riding do I see a lot more women. I'll add that I probably fall in the "girly" range; I like make up and LOVE riding in my skirts (but I wear spandex & tank tops for my commuting). It's possible to commute and still look good; where there's a will there's a way.

I agree with the body issue thing too. One of my close friends likes to exercise and does what she can to get fit - but her body type doesn't make it easy. The reason she told me she didn't want to bike was that she was "too huge" for it, and didn't want to look like a joke. I did my best to convince her she was worried over nothing, and that all sorts of people bike. Oh the other hand, we do all know people judge us. I've seen some comments on other bike forms....

I have no comment about juggling kids, not too many people I know have them and there is no kids/cyclist overlap in my friend circle at all.

[Ja Da Dee]

I live too far from work to commute, but, if I lived closer, I can see some potential issues because I'm the one who is always stopping and shopping on my way home.

No kids, but Pick up Dogfood on the way home please. Can you pick up milk? Can you grab some groceries? Can you ... ugh I swear I stop somewhere just about every day.

I have been trying to ride my bike to the grocery store for small shops (6 mi round trip) to the farmers market (7 mi rt), to the stable to ride my horse (14 mi rt). I'm loving it!

[shootingstar]

So last two days after work, I was by a heavily used bike-ped, wide, flat path downtown taking photos. So was at each spot for at least half an hr. or longer.

It was getting boring, 80% passing cyclists were men. I am talking about a path that has a cyclist passing through every 30-60 seconds or so.

Even today, on a Friday afternoon when it's 85 degrees F...unusually hot at this time of year for us.

I needed photos of commuter cyclists.

[lph]

I was thinking about this thread the other day. I would have guessed that a majority of the bike commuters I see are men, but no, once I started paying attention I saw that at least half were women, maybe even more. And women in "real" bike gear too.

[ScaldedCat]

More men than women in the workforce so more men than women commuting, more men driving cars than women too I guess but you don't notice as the car is an anonymous box compared to a bike. Women who don't work don't cycle as much as men for day to day transport as they are likely to have children to take care of which makes it harder to use a bike for transport.

Neither I or my partner have ever learned to drive or owned a car so it's always bikes, walking or public transport for us.
There are usually more women than men on buses.

[soprano]

I get a tremendous amount of pushback from my friends and family about riding for transportation. They worry out loud about me. They're worried about traffic, about assault, and about my bike being stolen. This is despite the fact that I've been riding for 3.5 years and +12,000 miles, and that I live and ride through reasonably safe areas. Most of them turn out to be very ill-informed about the actual risks or problems I experience. That doesn't make their comments any less discouraging.

Every single time I have this conversation with a friend or family member, I wonder if they would say these things to a 32-year-old man. Somehow, I doubt it.

When I need to really dress up for something, I bail and take the bus or train. It's a hair and makeup thing. Theoretically, I could go an hour early and shower/primp at the gym, but that is so incredibly inconvenient. I completely understand women who are required to dress up every day not wanting to deal with that on a daily basis.