While we may still be experiencing what some have dubbed the "He-session" - named such because (arguably) jobs traditionally held by men have been more drastically effected by the recession - it does not appear that this shift has placed more ladies on the saddles of their bikes each day. This is something, as I noted in my previous post on the Tour de France, that I notice every day. On the mornings when I ride my road bike I probably see one woman for every 5 men. When riding my commuter bike through downtown DC the numbers are even more skewed - maybe 1 in 10. I've noticed this, been strangely annoyed by it but never really took too much time to wonder why.
Then, a couple of weeks ago a good friend sent me this
article talking about the gender gap in commuting by bike. The article offers two possible arguments for the gap: fear and fashion. The fear argument boils down to the idea that women are more timid than men and therefore less likely to put themselves in the potentially "dangerous" situation of riding in traffic. The fashion argument is even more offensive: that because society expects us ladies to wear high heals and fake lashes, cycling to work becomes impractical if we also want to uphold our end of the fashion norms bargain. That said, despite the protestations of my inner feminist, I can see some truth to both of these arguments. But the key word there is "some". It's true that sometimes I'm afraid on my bike. But, if you're committed to being a smart, aware and proactive rider and limit your scope of fear to what is actually happening (rather than what
could happen) things really aren't so bad. And my guess is that most male riders wouldn't enjoy being hit by an opening car door or swerving vehicle any more than a female rider. As for the fashion piece, it is a pain in the butt to pack all of my clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup and toiletries each night and go through my morning regimen in a gym locker room rather than my own bathroom. But, there's a mirror, plug for my blowdryer and decent water pressure at my gym so really, I can't complain too much. Plus, it really is my choice to wear makeup, jewelry and a different pair of shoes every day of the week.
But the real argument of the article is not fear nor fashion, it's the economy. Women are more likely to be poor then men, we still earn only $.77 on the dollar and apparently do more housework too. While this last statistic is not true in my household (you're welcome, honey, for this public shout-out to your awesome vacuuming and cleaning prowess) this is true for many. My ability to share chores with my partner probably does make it easier for me to commute on my bike but so does the right gear. Because I have a great pannier (more on that soon), I'm able to pick up our weekly CSA share on my bike (on the weeks when it is my turn to do so). We also don't have kids so there's no additional concern about getting little ones to and from day care or school. I will say that despite my general lack of fear on my bike, the one idea that terrifies me is the idea of committing with a kid strapped to the back. Just last night I had drinks with a friend who brings his daughter to work each day on his bike. My instant response was "That's so cool! Doesn't it freak you out?". I think this is because when it's just me on my bike, if a car door opens in front of me I can swerve without a great deal of concern for my rear wheel or - even worse - bail from my bike. But, if I have a tiny person riding copilot, those options are not available.
Regardless of whether you agree with the reasons outlined in the article, the fact remains that I see far few women riders on my daily commute and wish I saw more of them, particularly in a city as bike-friendly as DC.
