Bicycling and feminism

Postcard advocating women's suffrage, New Zealand
New Zealand postcard advocating equal voting rights for women. Note that women could already vote in local elections (the small wheel of the penny-farthing)

The bicycle had a significant impact on the lives of women in a variety of areas.[1][2][3] The greatest impact the bicycle had on the societal role of women occurred in the 1890s during the bicycle craze that swept American and European society.[4] During this time, the primary achievement the bicycle gained for the women's movement was that it gave women a greater amount of social mobility.[3][5] The feminist Annie Londonderry accomplished her around-the-globe bicycle trip as the first woman in this time.[6][7][8] Due to the price and the various payment plans offered by American bicycle companies, the bicycle was affordable to the majority of people.[3] However, the bicycle impacted upper and middle class white women the most.[3] This transformed their role in society from remaining in the private or domestic sphere as caregivers, wives, and mothers to one of greater public appearance and involvement in the community.[3][9] In the 21st century bicycling remains a contentious issue addressed by feminists in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.

  1. ^ Willard, Frances Elizabeth (1895). A Wheel Within a Wheel: How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle with Some Reflection By the Way. Fleming H. Revell Company. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. "Elizabeth Cady Stanton Papers: Speeches and Writings- 1902 Articles; Undated; "Shall Women Ride the Bicycle?" undated". Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Harmond, Richard (1971). "Progress and Flight: An Interpretation of the American Cycle Craze of the 1890s". Journal of Social History. 5 (2): 235–257. doi:10.1353/jsh/5.2.235. JSTOR 3786413. S2CID 112241753.
  4. ^ Rubinstein, David (1977). "Cycling in the 1890s". Victorian Studies. 21 (1): 47–71. JSTOR 3825934.
  5. ^ Hallenbeck, Sarah (2010). "Riding Out of Bounds: Women Bicyclists' Embodied Medical Authority". Rhetoric Review. 29 (4): 327–345. doi:10.1080/07350198.2010.510054. JSTOR 40997180. S2CID 143601140.
  6. ^ Blickenstaff, Brian (23 September 2016). "Annie Londonderry: the Self-Promoting Feminist Who Biked Around the World". Vice. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  7. ^ "10 Things you Didn't Know about Annie Londonderry". Total Women's Cycling. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  8. ^ "First woman to cycle the globe begins journey". Jewish Women's Archive. 25 June 1894. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  9. ^ Petty, Ross D. (2010). "Bicycling in Minneapolis in the Early 20th Century". Minnesota History. 62 (3): 66–101. JSTOR 25769527.

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