A totally unscientific study
on Lucy Adams and Andy Mulholland (Ghana), 14/Aug/2011 19:19, 34 days ago
Totally unscientific study on women and cycling..In Kenya we cycled with a lovely guy called Eric who covers 40km tobuy slightly cheaper maize over the Ugandan border which he can thenre-sell. He, as with most people we've met on the trip, seemedgenuinely shocked that a woman would and could ride a bicycle. And inline with the comments of others, was particularly surprised that aman would travel with his wife. "But where are your children? Who islooking after them?" is what he and most others have asked. He told usthat there was research proving it was unscientific for women tocycle. Interestingly women here are expected to walk for miles, carryincredulous loads, balance children and do the farm-work butapparently, they're too weak to cycle. So I've pulled together somestats in a completely unscientific way..In the course of cycling around Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzaniawe've seen about 58 women on bikes and tens of thousands of men.The breakdown is as follows:Kenya - 2Uganda - 0Rwanda - 0Tanzania - 56The impediments are multifarious. In remote rural communities mostwomen don't have access to sufficient funds to buy a bicycle - stillsomething of a luxury. Men tell them they are not strong enough andthat it is inappropriate (even unreligious). And they are expected towear long skirts or dresses and carry their babies which makes it lesspractical.Bearing in mind that these communities have little or no access topublic transport, it makes the injustice somehow more significant.Lucy