Sexism in Women’s Cycling still haunts the Sport
The sport of women’s cycling has a long and interesting history. When it first emerged, the bicycle is thought to have done more to emancipate women than anything before it. It led to women leaving the home and becoming independent for the first time in
their lives. Just the fact of riding a two wheeled contraption had a profound effect on society at the time. But soon it seems the focus has swung back to a sexist view of the sport and support is not given to the women’s discipline as it is to the men’s sport.
In time, we might see an equality forming as more emphasis is given to women’s cycling events.
The sport of women’s cycling has a very rich and long history. The story starts in the 1890s when the bicycle craze started to take off in America. Bike sales went through the roof and everyone could be seen riding a bike around the city streets. It was
an inexpensive and very easy way to get around town and it was a lot quicker than walking.
As the two wheeled machines started to become very popular, women started to ride them too. Only the most pioneering and forward thinking women could be seen on a bicycle because it was not really accepted in society at the time.
Slowly as more and more women got on the small saddles of bicycles and started to ride around; it signalled the first steps towards their emancipation. They were free to travel and move around as they wished as this was a big taboo at the time. Society dictated
that a woman should stay at home and raise children and not be seen riding around town seemingly having fun. Many arguments against cycling emerged but it did not stop women riding bicycles.
Women riding bicycles also brought about a change in the outfits they wore. Out went the restrictive and difficult to ride in long flowing skirts and these were replaced by men’s trousers and tops that were easier to ride in and brought about a change in
the fashion of the time. Society was still not happy with women riding cycles, even though it was a great way for them to get some exercise and be outdoors. People felt that riding a bicycle would somehow damage a women’s private parts and make it harder for
her to conceive babies and so they tried to discourage women by showing that it was bad for their health. It did not work and women kept on riding their cycles.
Coming to modern times, it seems all the suffering of women in the 1890s is going to waste. Other Olympic sports such as swimming, track and field, gymnastics and many others are pretty much equal in terms of events for men and women. But there is still
a serious inequality in cycling events. The men’s sport of cycling had 7 distinct events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while the women’s had only three. Many stars of the women’s event like British cyclist, Vicky Pendleton, voiced their protests to the top
governing body of the sport. There is hope that at the 2012 London Olympics things can improve and women cyclists will get the same time and space as men.
Besides this distinct inequality in women’s cycling, the women’s sport has unique needs that cannot be addressed by men. Women usually have problems going into a bicycle shop and getting advice from the men who usually work there. This was stated by the
founder of a new women’s online bike shop. This new concept in women’s cycling is an online bicycle shop which gives women specific advice to female riders. At a recent cycling show in London, the owner of the shop; minx-girl.com, Debbie Burton, was on hand
along with professional cyclist Jenn Hopkins to give women expert advice catered to their specific needs.
The sport of women’s cycling has come a very long way from the days of the suffrage in the 1890s. It still has a little bit more to go until it is truly an equal sport to the men’s discipline, but it will eventually get there. The sport of women’s cycling
can be just as exciting and thrilling to watch as the men’s sport and as more women get into it, it will only become more so.
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