Washington, D.C. -- August 6, 2013 -- As the summer riding season peaks, the League of American Bicyclists has released a first-of-its-kind report showcasing a trend seen on streets nationwide: Women are changing the face of bicycling, and bicycling is transforming the lives of women.
"Women on a Roll" -- a product of the League's Women Bike program -- compiles more than 100 original and trusted sources of data to showcase the growth and potential of female bicyclists in the United States. It also suggests five key focus areas -- the 5 Cs -- to increase women's ridership:
» Comfort
» Convenience
» Consumer Products
» Confidence
» Community
"Increasingly, advocacy groups and industry leaders are recognizing the gender gap as a clear -- and critical -- limitation to growing the bike movement and the market," said Carolyn Szczepanski, the League's Director of Communications and Women Bike. "This report puts hard data behind that imperative -- and reveals what's working in getting more women on bikes and where there is clear opportunity to increase female leadership and participation."
According to the report:
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82% of American women have a positive view of bicyclists
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From 2003 to 2012, the number of women and girls who bicycle rose 20%, compared to a .5% decline among men
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Women are the new majority: 60% of bicycle owners aged 17-28 years old are women.
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Women accounted for 37% of the bicycle market in 2011, spending $2.3 billion.
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45% of local and state bicycle advocacy organization staff are female.
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89% of bike shop owners are male, but 33% of shops are run by a husband/wife team.
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Women are still underrepresented in leadership positions, including the boards of national industry and advocacy organizations -- and their membership.
Download "Women on a Roll" here and stay engaged as we dig further into the data and concepts in the report with female leaders over the next three months.
First up: Join Women Bike and members of our Advisory Board for a Twitter chat (#womenbike) on August 9 at 2 p.m. Eastern as we discuss this exciting new report.
Learn more about Women Bike at bikeleague.org/womenbike
Header image: Women riding in the Kinzie Street cycletrack in Chicago, photo by Martha Williams, founder of Bike Fancy
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