A Critical Review of the Literature on Gender and Cycling

Using a systematic search strategy, this paper reviews and critically assesses the literature about gender and cycling. Most studies use a cross-sectional research design and quantitative analysis to examine male-female differences in cycling behaviours, stated concerns, correlates, and barriers. The two hypotheses at the centre of most of this work are (1) that women cycle less than men due to greater safety concerns and (2) that women cycle less, or at least use bicycles differently than men, because of their more complex travel patterns that arise from greater household responsibilities. While the literature identifies differences in male-female cycling patterns, it rarely sheds light on the structural underpinnings of such differences. In doing so, gender can be problematically essentialized, that is, gendered differences can be wrongly interpreted as being “natural” or biological. Greater engagement with feminist theoretical concepts like performativity, intersectionality, and embodiment could be helpful to advancing a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between cycling and gender.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE70 Standing Committee on Women's Issues in Transportation.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Ravensbergen, Léa
  • Buliung, Ron
  • Laliberté, Nicole
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 4p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bicycling; Females; Literature reviews
• Uncontrolled Terms: Women cyclists
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01698124
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-00529
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM