Fewer women cycle in the Lisbon metropolitan area than men

Gender inequality in bicycle use exists due to various factors, such as road safety when cycling alongside car traffic or the lack of cycling infrastructure. But there is also a lack of gender-disaggregated data on mobility, resulting, for example, in a lack of knowledge that women's mobility patterns are more complex, due to the domestic and care tasks that, for social reasons, continue to be more the responsibility of women. There is also the sexual harassment experienced in public spaces, culminating in transport systems and mobility solutions that are not suited to women's needs.

Even so, little attention has been paid to gender issues related to urban mobility and cycling, resulting in inequalities in the choice and use of different modes of transport.

In 2023, women accounted for only 14% of people using bicycles in the Lisbon metropolitan area (amL). This data, collected as part of my academic research, confirms the gender inequality that exists in this mode of transport and reveals that mobility is not neutral. Studying what inhibits and motivates women to take up cycling in their daily commute and including this information in mobility policies seems to be a key factor in reducing gender inequalities in cycling in our cities. In this article, we'll discuss a few clues.