Bicycle use among women in Spain is increasing

The use of a bicycle is growing in Spain. It is driven by women, especially young women, who are choosing this mode of transport for their daily journeys. In the last two years, bike use by women in Spain has increased by 5% while among men it remains stable, according to the latest bicycle barometer produced by the Network of Cities by Bicycle (Red de Ciudades per la Bicicleta). In this way, the bicycle is more and more present in the streets and the gender gap is reduced. If in 2010, there was one woman riding a bicycle for every two men, now there are 42.8% female and 58.9% male cyclists. The difference still exists, but the difference is diminishing.

"Where there is a good infrastructure it has been demonstrated that women use bicycles more", explains the president of the Network and vice-president of the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), Antoni Poveda, who does not hesitate to link women's commitment to cycling with the extension and increase of cycle lanes in cities like Barcelona. In fact, it is a theory supported by numerous international experts, who see a direct link between a good bicycle infrastructure and the fact that there are women and children riding on it.

The gender gap is, at the same time, generational. The bulk of new cyclists are being recorded among women between the ages of 25 and 39, where the proportion is very close to that of men. When comparing women cyclists between 40 and 54 years old with men in the same age bracket, there is a difference of about 25%.

"As time goes by the gap will be lower because the new generations are the ones leading the change", emphasizes Àngels Pont, director of Gesop, the research institute that has elaborated the biennial study promoted by the Network of Cities for Cycling with the support of the General Direction of Traffic (DGT) and that was presented yesterday in the framework of the climate summit in Madrid.

Source: Story first published in January by the European Cyclist federation