Comments on: Mind the Gender Gap http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/01/mind-the-gender-gap/ Your daily source for national transportation policy news and analysis. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Amsterdamize http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/01/mind-the-gender-gap/comment-page-1/#comment-76311 Amsterdamize Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:02:52 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=7541#comment-76311 @Dave: perhaps you've seen this already, but I highly recommend reading <a href="http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/" rel="nofollow">John Pucher</a>'s research paper <a href="http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf" rel="nofollow">'Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany'</a> (pdf). Amongst many other aspects, it also deals with what we talked about. @Dave: perhaps you’ve seen this already, but I highly recommend reading John Pucher‘s research paper ‘Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany’ (pdf). Amongst many other aspects, it also deals with what we talked about.

]]> By: Amsterdamize http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/01/mind-the-gender-gap/comment-page-1/#comment-76281 Amsterdamize Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:57:12 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=7541#comment-76281 You're right, Dave, in that sense we're pretty traditional. However, and I've looked this up on our National Census Buro and the Bicycle Council websites, it doesn't have that much to do with income. Essentially, women prefer working closer to home (which does have to do with traditional roles and/or typical gender specific activities, such as more shopping and visiting friends) and cycle more often (shorter distances) than men (who cycle less often but longer distances). Men are willing to travel longer distances for work and do so mostly by car, but bicycle-train commuting is gaining ground more and more, hence <a href="http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/06/dutch-railway-station-cycle-parking.html" rel="nofollow">the alarming numbers about the ever growing need (5% per year) for train station parking</a>. You’re right, Dave, in that sense we’re pretty traditional. However, and I’ve looked this up on our National Census Buro and the Bicycle Council websites, it doesn’t have that much to do with income. Essentially, women prefer working closer to home (which does have to do with traditional roles and/or typical gender specific activities, such as more shopping and visiting friends) and cycle more often (shorter distances) than men (who cycle less often but longer distances). Men are willing to travel longer distances for work and do so mostly by car, but bicycle-train commuting is gaining ground more and more, hence the alarming numbers about the ever growing need (5% per year) for train station parking.

]]> By: Dave Snyder http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/01/mind-the-gender-gap/comment-page-1/#comment-76261 Dave Snyder Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:15:22 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=7541#comment-76261 San Francisco State Professor Jason Henderson and I have counted bicyclists by gender on five occasions at two locations: on weekday mornings at Market & Gough Streets and at midday on the weekend at Steiner and Waller. We counted 1,488 riders, including 466 women, or 31%. Interestingly, the proportion of women differed significantly at each location. Women represented only 28% of the commuter cyclists and 36% of the weekend recreational cyclists. My understanding of the reason that in Holland, why slightly more women bike than men is that women make less money than men and therefore are less likely to have a car, and that in the large number of one-car households, the man gets the car. San Francisco State Professor Jason Henderson and I have counted bicyclists by gender on five occasions at two locations: on weekday mornings at Market & Gough Streets and at midday on the weekend at Steiner and Waller. We counted 1,488 riders, including 466 women, or 31%. Interestingly, the proportion of women differed significantly at each location. Women represented only 28% of the commuter cyclists and 36% of the weekend recreational cyclists.

My understanding of the reason that in Holland, why slightly more women bike than men is that women make less money than men and therefore are less likely to have a car, and that in the large number of one-car households, the man gets the car.

]]> By: Amsterdamize http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/01/mind-the-gender-gap/comment-page-1/#comment-76251 Amsterdamize Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:33:38 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=7541#comment-76251 Trisha and Dottie are so right. I like to add that a nation can't proclaim the title 'bicycle culture' until women are part of the equation. Same goes for the young, the elderly. Cycling should be for everyone. Aside: Dutch parents are so like Japanese, they love the mamacharis...or as they call it: <a href="http://amsterdamize.com/2009/06/26/the-art-of-utility-cycling/" rel="nofollow">a bicycle with child seats</a>. :) (PS: the bakfiets is very popular in NL, but relatively only a small portion of Dutch parents own one) Trisha and Dottie are so right. I like to add that a nation can’t proclaim the title ‘bicycle culture’ until women are part of the equation.

Same goes for the young, the elderly. Cycling should be for everyone.

Aside:
Dutch parents are so like Japanese, they love the mamacharis…or as they call it: a bicycle with child seats. :)

(PS: the bakfiets is very popular in NL, but relatively only a small portion of Dutch parents own one)

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