Championing women cyclists

By Mandy Caruana
Employers can help more women cycle to work by identifying and removing perceived barriers
At Cycling UK, we champion women who cycle – our Women’s Festival of Cycling has been running for five years and we are proud it has gone from strength to strength and we’re seeing more women give cycling a try. We take a look at what employers can do to support more women to cycle to work

Men undertake almost three times as many cycling journeys as women, and travel more than four times as far and this includes people who cycle to work.

Transport for London reports that ‘regular’ cyclists are more likely to be male, white, working and non-disabled – 20% of men report being ‘regular’ cyclists compared with 8% of women’. In England, men travel on average 86 miles per year by bike compared with the average of 21 for women; in Scotland more than three times as many men than women commute to work by bike: 2.1% compared with 0.6%.

There are several reasons why there are fewer women cyclists, and Cycling UK has identified some of them as being:

  1. There could be a confidence issue. A feeling that cycling on the road is dangerous
  2. Women are more likely to have childcare and work to juggle
  3. Provision for storing bikes may not be conducive for women. Perhaps the bike racks are too high
  4. Perhaps there is no provision for women to change, shower or wash and dry their hair at work

You can check out our women’s cycling advice for tips on how to help the women at your organisation overcome these barriers and inspire them to begin their cycling journey.

As an organisation there are lots of ways you can do more to support your female staff to cycle:

Become a Cycle Friendly Employer

If you would like to become an accredited Cycle Friendly Employer and want to encourage more women to cycle then there is no better time than the present. Becoming accredited couldn’t be easier and is done in three simple steps:

  1. Complete your self assessment
  2. Have a site audit
  3. Receive your accreditation

It really is that easy. You could then join the many accredited members and enjoy the various benefits that Cycling UK has to offer.

As an accredited member, it might be useful for you to survey your staff to see exactly what they see as barriers to cycling to work. Once you see the results from the survey, you’ll better understand the issues and what you can do to help women access the option to cycle to work.

One inspiring story is of Natalie Rees who works for Transport for Wales. She took part in this year’s Bike Week and told Cycling UK that she gave up her car and committed solely to using her bike.

Previously, Natalie hadn’t ridden a bike for many years and had a nasty accident when she was a child. Nervous to get back on the bike, she took a cycling training course, which arranged by her employer, for two days to get her confidence back.

Natalie works in Sustainability for Transport for Wales so she wanted to practise what she preached. Natalie’s road confidence has grown with time and she has never looked back!

Cycling UK is organising the Women’s Festival of Cycling. This year, it is taking place between 17 July to 1 August 2021. We would love for you to share this with your female staff. There will be organised rides, digital events, advice and more. Head to the Women’s Festival of Cycling to find out more.

Commuting Women's cycling Cycle Friendly Employer

Further reading