Why do I see fewer women cycling than men?

[Crankin]

I really have a hard time understanding why anyone would feel guilty about cycling. Feeling guilty about having a hobby, participating in a sport, contributing to a less polluted environment, and doing something positive for your health (both physical and mental) just doesn't make any sense. Why shouldn't you spend money on yourself, when it's something that has all of these positive benefits? I sincerely believe that most of this comes from the way a lot of women are socialized, i.e., don't ever do anything for yourself.
I guess I must have missed that message, because I never gave any of this a thought. I also had a ton of encouragement from my DH, my son, and my exchange student when I started riding.
I do agree, there are a lot of azzholes in the cycling world, but if you look around, it is possible to find someone who has similar cycling goals. I've always been firmly in the "too fast for the slow group, too slow for the fast group" camp, but I found both individuals and a group that are perfect for me to ride with. I have no interest in real "training" and I never wanted to race, but over the past 11 years, I've improved, gained confidence, become a ride leader, had years when I rode less/lost strength/speed, as well as buying/selling 7 bikes.
Am I perfect? Of course not. I'm still a wimpy descender, I don't like certain traffic situations, and my mechanical skills are minimal. But, I keep going and every year is more interesting.

[tiva]

Great topic. I spend a fair bit of time in Europe, where more people ride bikes in the cities than take cars, and you see more women than men riding, I think. Women on road bikes, women in fancy dresses and heels on city bikes, women with kids--all sorts.

Here in the US, it never occurs to me to be afraid alone on roads or on trails. Wisconsin is a pretty safe state, but still.

I ride every other day, either alone or with a couple friends. But I never go with a bike club, for some reason. I'm much less comfortable with competition than many men are, and because I usually ride alone, I don't know how to ride in groups. And I know I'm not as fast as the guys who ride in the clubs. But it would be interesting to try group riding.