The Cycling Gender Gap: What can we learn from girls?Jennifer Di l l , Ph.D.Professor, Urban Studies & PlanningDirector, TRECPort land State Univers ity

The biking gender gap

Source: 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS)

31%

5%

15%

66%

40%

10%15%

67%Females

Males

Children Adults

Made a walk trip in the past week

Children Adults

Made a bike trip in the past week

That’s not the case everywhere

25%27%

30%

49%

55% 56%

USA UK Canada Germany Denmark Netherlands

Perc

ent

of b

ike

trip

s by

wom

en

Source: Pucher and Buehler (eds.) City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012

FAS Team:Nathan McNeilJoe Broach

Data collectionSurveys

GPS (GlobalSat DG-100) and accelerometer (Actigraph GT3X) for 5 days

TimelinePre data

collection (GPS+AM+surveys)

Interim data collection

(surveys only)

Post data collection

(GPS+AM+surveys)

2 years

1. July-October 20102. April-August 2011

1. August-Oct. 20122. April-August 2013

Sample size by phase328

households253

households262

households

491363 354 294 329

322

224 260

186215

175

114134

7199

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Pre Interim Post AM: 3 daysPre & Post

GPS: 3 daysPre & Post

Kids 11-17

Kids 5-10

Adults

Age of kid participantsNotes:

4-year olds only included with older siblings, at request of parents

17-year old dropped out0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Age at start of study

Boys Girls

FindingsToday’s findings are new, and just the beginning of the analysis.

I welcome your ideas for further analysis.

Keep in mind that these are kids living in the city of Portland. Need to be careful about applying findings to other cities.

Behavior

Bikes trips by gender

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

5-10, pre 5-10, post 11-16, pre 11-16, post

Mea

n #

bike

tri

ps

Boys Girls

Based on GPS data over 5 days

Gender differences are notstatistically significant

5-10 year olds: 123 boys, 119 girls11-16 year olds: 65 boys, 57 girls

Number of bike trips, by gender

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+

# of bike trips

Boys

Girls

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+

# of bike trips

5-10 year olds 11-16 year olds

Differences between corridorsBoys Girls

Control Treatment Control Treatment

5-10 year olds

Minutes biking No change No change No change

Bike trips No change No change No change No change

11-16 year olds

Minutes biking No change No change No change

Bike trips No change No change No change

Paired sample t-tests, p<0.10

Kids’ attitudes

Attitudes about walking vs. biking5-10 year olds 11-16 year olds

girls vs. boys, pre

girls vs. boys, post

same kids, 2 years later

girls vs. boys, pre

girls vs. boys, post

same kids, 2 years later

I like walking = = = = = =

I like biking = = = = girls < boys girls

I like riding my bike to school = = girls & boys

I like riding my bike to other places = = girls

Attitudes about walking vs. biking5-10 year olds 11-16 year olds

girls vs. boys, pre

girls vs. boys, post

same kids, 2 years later

girls vs. boys, pre

girls vs. boys, post

same kids, 2 years later

I like walking = = = = = =

I like biking = = = = girls < boys girls

I like riding my bike to school = = girls & boys

I like riding my bike to other places = = girls

0

20

40

60

80

100

5-10, Pre 5-10, Post 11-16, Pre 11-16, Post

% A

gree

ing

that

the

y Li

ke B

ikin

g

Boys Girls

2 years later

Gender differences in attitudes about biking

2 years later

Barriers to biking, by gender (11-16 years, pre)

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

Rain Coldweather

No one tobike with

My parents don’t

want me to bike

It takestoo long

Not fun, don’t feel

like it

I don’t like

wearing my helmet

I am afraidof getting

hurt

My bikedoes notfit mewell

I don’t want to

get sweaty

I can’t ride my

bike well

My friends don’t

want me to bike

I don’t want

other kids to see me

biking

Boys Girls

Not at all a barrier to

biking

Very much a barrier to

biking

p=0.02 p<0.01 p<0.01 p=0.02 p=0.02

Change among girls, barriers to biking

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

Rain Coldweather

No one tobike with

Parentsdon't wantme to bike

Takes toolong

Not fun,don't feel

like it

Afraid ofgetting

hurt

I don't likewearing my

helmet

My bikedoes not fit

me well

I don't wantto getsweaty

Friendsdon't wantme to bike

Don't wantother kidsto see me

biking

I can't ridemy bike

well

Pre Post

Not at all a barrier to

biking

Very much a barrier to

biking

p=0.07p=0.03 p=0.06p=0.02

Barriers to biking, by gender (11-16 years, post)

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

Rain Coldweather

No one tobike with

Not fun, don’t feel

like it

It takestoo long

I don’t like

wearing my helmet

I don’t want to

get sweaty

My bikedoes notfit mewell

I can’t ride my

bike well

My friends don’t

want me to bike

My parents don’t

want me to bike

I am afraidof getting

hurt

I don’t want

other kids to see me

biking

Boys Girls

Not at all a barrier to

biking

Very much a barrier to

biking

p<0.01 p=0.03 p=0.02p<0.01

Parents’ attitudes

Parents’ comfort with kids biking & walkingI/We do not feel comfortable allowing this child to walk/bike alone to places in the neighborhood because of ….

Very few significant gender differences:

5-10, walk alone due to stranger danged p<0.055-10, bike alone due to stranger danged p<0.10

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

bike alonebecause of

stranger danger

bike with theirfriends because

of trangerdanger

bike alonebecause of

traffic

bike with theirfriends because

of traffic

walk alonebecause of

stranger danger

walk with theirfriends because

of trangerdanger

walk alonebecause of

traffic

walk with theirfriends because

of traffic

Boys, 5-10 Girls, 5-10 Boys, 11-16 Girls, 11-16

strongly disagree

strongly agree

Biking Walking

Stranger Danger Traffic Stranger Danger Traffic

Infrastructure

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

On a streetwith heavytraffic and

no bike lane*

On a streetwith heavy

traffic with abike lane*

On a streetwith littletraffic and

no bike lane*

On a streetwith little

traffic with abike lane*

On a path ortrail

separatefrom the

street

On a streetwith heavytraffic and

no bike lane

On a streetwith heavy

traffic with abike lane

On a streetwith littletraffic and

no bike lane

On a streetwith little

traffic with abike lane

On a path ortrail

separatefrom the

street

Mea

n Co

mfo

rt L

evel

, 1=

Ver

y un

com

fort

able

, 4=

Ver

y co

mfo

rtab

le Boys

Girls

Comfort on facilities: 11-16 year olds

Alone With Parents* sig. difference p<0.05

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

On a streetwith heavytraffic and

no bike lane*

On a streetwith heavy

traffic with abike lane*

On a streetwith littletraffic and

no bike lane*

On a streetwith little

traffic with abike lane*

On a path ortrail

separatefrom the

street

On a streetwith heavytraffic and

no bike lane

On a streetwith heavy

traffic with abike lane

On a streetwith littletraffic and

no bike lane

On a streetwith little

traffic with abike lane

On a path ortrail

separatefrom the

street

Mea

n Co

mfo

rt L

evel

, 1=

Ver

y un

com

fort

able

, 4=

Ver

y co

mfo

rtab

le Boys

Girls

Comfort on facilities: 11-16 year olds

Alone With Parents* sig. difference p<0.05

Questions?Today’s findings are new, and just the beginning of the analysis.

I welcome your ideas for further analysis.

Keep in mind that these are kids living in the city of Portland. Need to be careful about applying findings to other cities.