this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2024
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chapotraphouse
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I understand what you're getting at - material conditions make it difficult for women to cycle, especially in North America - but as a woman who is literally a professional bike courier and spends most of my waking hours on the road cycling, I can't help but take a little tiny bit of umbrage at your statement. Not only is "women don't ride bikes" a factually inaccurate statement, it denies the actual courage and strength and bravery that existing women cyclists have to possess in a world that is actively hostile to us and our safety.
There are many women who ride bikes in spite of how dangerous conditions are, and not a statistically insignificant number of them - they account for about 25% of all cyclists in the United States. I see hundreds of them every day. It takes courage from them. It's the equivalent of reading "Well now you know why there are no women in video games" or "This is why there are no women in STEM" - again, I truly understand what you're getting at, that there are material conditions that make these environments more hostile to women specifically. However, I'm sure you can understand why your phrasing feels a little insulting - as if these women, most of whom probably had to fight extra hard fit in, simply don't exist. Their accomplishments, their names, mean nothing because "there are just no women who do that, sigh, what a shame - no women's history here to celebrate". An alternative and more accurate way of phrasing it would be "there aren't as many women who ride bikes". Sincerely hope I'm not being annoying or sounding like a scold or anything, but like, yeah dude, I'm a woman and ride bikes for a living, lol, there are women who ride bikes, idk what else to tell ya. also this isn't even anything new, here's some context on the long-standing and well-established historical strategic partnership between women and bicycles
edit:
look man, I know broad strokes paint a picture quicker, but come on, lol, that's such a blanket statement
I understand that there are many women who ride bikes even in bike-unfriendly environments, and I never intended to belittle or insult them. I never meant to say that there are no women who ride bikes in North America. I intended to say that the hostile conditions of North America (to both women and bicycle riders) have lead to a severe underrepresentation of female bicycle riders in North American locales. Admittedly, my phrasing was a little crude, and I'm sorry that I offended you.
I'm sincerely sorry for taking offense at something that was clearly not directed towards me.
I feel there's this very common perception that women are all big soft lazy squishy babies who are automatically ontologically incapable and unwilling to perform dangerous, difficult, and risky activities, and I feel like that perception is unfortunately in the background of our world everywhere I go, almost invisible, like a constant low hum of radiation. I worry that unchecked blanket statements can help reinforce our worst biases.
I'm self-aware enough to acknowledge that I might be projecting that insecurity onto a clearly well-intentioned hexbear post, so fr, earnestly, sorry for being annoying about it.
I am a big soft lazy squishy baby and if you try to stop me from cycling I will cut you and that is not hyperbole.