The University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy has recently published the first-ever research exploring the cycling experiences of UK-based women of colour who are regular cyclists, showing that the interplay of race and gender is a key factor; and stereotypes and lack of representation could reinforce low cycling rates.
The research was led by Dulce Pedroso, PhD student and Fellow at the Active Travel Academy, and was co-authored by Professor Rachel Aldred, Professor of Transport and Director of the Active Travel Academy. Published in TRIP journal, the study can provide insights to policymakers to acknowledge the ways race and ethnicity are relevant to cyclists’ experiences, to increase cycling rates, and to create more inclusive cycling environments in the UK.
The researchers found that cyclists are already marginalised on car-oriented roads, and the dominant perception of these cyclists is that they are masculine and sporty. Women of colour who do not fit these stereotypes are further marginalised on the road and may struggle to negotiate how they are represented. It was shown that the road and cycling culture embody the challenges of marginalised groups on a broader societal level.
The research involved interviews with cycling influencers and advocates who are also women of colour, to represent popular views around cycling, gender and race. The study connects to the theory around ‘oppositional gaze’, which discusses how Black women, misrepresented by the dominant media, would think critically to challenge misrepresentation.
Talking about the importance of the research, Pedroso said: “To increase cycling rates, we have to look beyond the demographics who are currently well-represented in cycling. We know that there is an unmet need and thus huge potential in growing cycling rates among women, people of colour and especially women of colour, but we know very little about underrepresented cyclists. The research is significant because it provides insights into the experiences of women of colour who cycle.”
Read the study titled In the Opposite Lane: How Women of Colour Experience, Negotiate and Apply an Oppositional Gaze to Dominant Cycling Discourses.
Learn more about Pedroso’s research at the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy.
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