Why do I see fewer women cycling than men?

[maillotpois]

Boy I really don't think about safety much at all - in the context of men vs. women. Accidents can happen to anyone, regardless of sex, so I don't really see any difference in risk between my riding and my husband's. There are 2 places in the Bay Area I can think of where I won't ride alone, but I'd also advise men not to ride those roads alone either. These are very isolated, remote, seemingly haunted type roads and if you had a major mechanical you'd be completely hosed (the Geysers and Mines Rd.).

I guess the only sex difference safety wise I can think of that affects my riding is I'm no longer enthusiastic about riding through the night alone (i.e. on a brevet or double century), whereas I see male friends doing it without really thinking about it. I've ridden through the night alone before, but now I will generally only do it if I have riding companions. But this is pretty extreme, and I don't expect most cyclists to factor in riding at 2 am as an issue.

I will say the majority of people who do the kind of riding I do (brevets and double centuries) are men, and I've had discussions with people about why that is. I do believe that child care is a big factor - it certainly had been for me. Even when we arranged child care, I always had more guilt around leaving the kid for the day to ride than my husband did. Now I've pretty much made a decision not to do any rides over 400k for the next 3 years because during my 600k last year, I really felt bad about being away from home for so long - and the kid is (I hope) going off to college in 3 years, so she's not going to be home forever. I can knock off a ride 400k or less and be home that night (or wee hours of the morning), but 600k, etc., takes both days of the weekend.

I never commuted to work because of (1) inconveniently placed bridges between my work and home with no way around them and (2) lack of shower facilities at work.

[TsPoet]

My first passion is dog training, especially agility. I know dozens of women in dog agility, and 1 man. Why don't more men do agility?

---I don't know if I have a point or not, I think I do

[indysteel]

@Maye, I know this is very location dependent, but in my area, there have been any number of attacks on our main multiple-use trails. I, personally, feel much safer on the average road.

[Catrin]

@Maye, I know this is very location dependent, but in my area, there have been any number of attacks on our main multiple-use trails. I, personally, feel much safer on the average road.

Yep - being in the same area as Indy, I concur. I feel much safer on the road.

[Maye]

@Maye, I know this is very location dependent, but in my area, there have been any number of attacks on our main multiple-use trails. I, personally, feel much safer on the average road.

Here in Orlando there has been a few attacks on the trails as well. Once I get better and more experienced in road cycling, I'll use more the main roads. Here there are way too many distracted drivers.

[Maye]

I do believe that child care is a big factor - it certainly had been for me. Even when we arranged child care, I always had more guilt around leaving the kid for the day to ride than my husband did.

I concur. Child care, another factor. I always feel guilty about leaving my husband taking care of our daughter which is in the terrible 2's phase.

[hebe]

I concur. Child care, another factor. I always feel guilty about leaving my husband taking care of our daughter which is in the terrible 2's phase.

I try so hard not to feel guilty about this. It's not actually asking them to babysit so much as ensuring that they participate in parenting after all. Plus, my dh enjoys the benefits of my cycling as much as I do so it's not exactly a selfish request.

I put a link onto my fb page about women and exercise - it's a study done by a mental health charity here women scared of outdoor exercise

+1 to all points above.

[shootingstar]

I also think that bike=machine=technical=male thing plays a role

I think this has alot of influence for women who don't want to cycle + the fear of looking dorky/out of shape against the young males in spandex.

I think it is also true for some men...who want to get back into shape and I know for certain some like bikes, because they are geeky-techy-mechanical guys.

How I try to explain to some about bikes..is to tell them, a bike is like a sewing machine. I meann hey, a sewing machine requires understanding it, how to use it, it is technical and sewing/tailoring well, does require logic, some technical details (and artistry abit). And I use sewing as something totally different metaphor, but has been traditional viewed as "women's stuff", but can be intimidating to people who don't like it/intimidated by the details.

[ACG]

I think time away from children is an issue.

In my immediate group, I'm the only mom. The other women don't have children and are at the age that they will not now.

As SO works, we hire sitter for 9 year old. Other kids are grown.

I will always miss a ride and put family first.

[Crankin]

My take is that women are just more fearful. And sometimes this becomes a reason to say "I can't." I know lots of people who say, "I couldn't do what you do."
As far as the kid thing goes, I'm not the best to ask. I didn't ride when my kids were small, but I was a group exercise instructor, in addition to having a full time job. I never felt guilty. My kids grew up seeing a mom being active.
And when a dad is with his kids, he is not babysitting. He's being a parent.
Where I live, the ratio of cyclists is pretty even in terms of gender. This has happened in the past 5 years

[redrhodie]

Where I live, the ratio of cyclists is pretty even in terms of gender. This has happened in the past 5 years

I agree. The lbs rides are split pretty even these days.

[lph]

I struggled with a bad conscience too when my son was a baby and I wanted to get some exercise and he would scream for me as his dad took him... but I'm pretty sure that was hormones talking

Intellectually I had no trouble rationalizing that I needed to get out, he needed to get to know his dad, and his dad needed time alone with kid. We talked about it fairly early on and agreed that our expectations were shared parenting as default, which meant both parents at home, and ask if you want to do something alone. So we called it "babysitting", but that was whenever either parent had to care for baby alone, without the other one. (In reality I had to peel baby off me to do anything, but hey, we tried).

Wow. Now my son is 15, gruff-voiced and moustached, and just sat up later than my bedtime, dissecting computers with his dad Time flies.

[Grits]

There is also the vicious cycle of more men riders bring in other men riders and so on. When I started riding it was because three other women I knew had just started, and we had a group of about the same ability starting out and learning everything together. That is fairly rare. If I hadn't known them, I might not have gotten started because I doubt I would have gotten into it on my own or with a group of guys because it does seem intimidating.

[Jiffer]

By the way, cycling IS growing for women in a big way. At least it is in Southern California. The owner of one of our bike shops was telling us a while back that he had recently been selling way more bikes to women than ever before (this was a year and a half ago or so.) He hosted a women's clinic, too, to encourage women to ride and to teach them HOW to ride.

[lovelygamer]

I don't have a lot of advice on the why's of women and cycling. I only can say that I myself have worried about the practical vs. recreational aspect (time spent on a hobby vs. something more practical), the risks to my physical self, the costs of the equipment, and the fashion or lack thereof. Maintenance of bikes is intimidating to me too. I haven't learned it yet and I feel at a disadvantage for it. That's a hell of a lot to get over and I don't even have a child!

I will say that locally, we have one competitive road cycling group, one mountain biking group, and one group that is a non competitive ladies only group.

btw I just marked an article for further reading today, about this topic.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/com...en-bikes/1984/