Mobycon Celebrates Women's History Month

On March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day worldwide, a day dedicated to the emancipation of women. We celebrate the improvement in the position of women over the past 100 years. At the same time, we give attention to the militancy and solidarity of women worldwide and shine a light on female pioneers in history.

Because there is much to celebrate and much to learn, the month of March is also celebrated as Women’s (History) Month. We’ll be paying special attention to Women in transport and cycling history.

(W)heels on Tour

As in other years, Mobycon will publish articles and organize the Women’s Month Special [W]heels On Tour meeting on Monday afternoon, March 31 (Dutch-language event). We are doing this in collaboration with [W]heels, a foundation that aims to make the mobility sector more accessible and inclusive for women. We will discuss why cycling is an ideal way of getting around for many women and how that led to the Netherlands becoming the world leader in cycling. Furthermore, we will discuss ways to improve the image of the mobility industry among women, drawing on experiences in other industries (and there will be plenty of opportunity for networking).

If you are in the Netherlands, please join us by registering here!

More Women in the Mobility Sector

Fortunately, more and more women are active in our field, but it is not a given that women are featured as experts in the media. A nice exception was this video “How to build acceptance for continuous cycle ways in the Netherlands” from the January 2023 UMX series (Urban Mobility Explained). Three women are shown talking about ‘bicycle highways,’ or ‘continuous cycle ways.’ Gwen Boon (Bicycle Program Manager, Province of Utrecht), Esther van Garderen (Director, Fietsersbond) and myself. When we ran into each other at a meeting, we all really appreciated how it felt to be listened to as three female experts without being confined to a women-specific topic!

What We’re Reading and Watching

March 31 is still a long way off, so as a warm-up I’m sharing some English-language reading and watching tips here for inspiration. 

Gender bias in the cycling field – In this English-language webinar, I speak with Esther Anaya-Boig and Kashmira Dubash. They discuss their personal experiences and various barriers to cycling for women worldwide.

Why Diversity is Important in the Cycling Industry – A blog post with experiences of participating in a panel on diversity in the cycling industry, during the International Cargobike Festival. The recording of the panel can be seen here.

In Ireland, one in 250 girls cycle to school, compared to one in 25 boys, a disparity that we are blessedly unfamiliar with here in the Netherlands. This pattern relates partly to stereotypes about how girls and women should get around and how they should dress (think of the school uniform, which is still common in Ireland and the UK). The ambassador program #andshecycles calls attention to the so-called gender gap in cycling by young people. They do this by educating and supporting school students so they can organize activities to get their fellow students on bikes.

Women Mobilize Women

Women Mobilize Women is an international network of women changemakers who contribute to making the mobility sector more diverse. In addition, Women Mobilize Women aims to make planners and decision-makers in the transportation sector aware of the issue of gender and transportation. The website features knowledge in the form of publications, webinars and campaigns.

We wish everyone a fun and enriching Women’s Month! 

Interested in more information on the issues that Mobycon works on? Check out our Spotlight Series podcast!

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