Women Cycling Research Paper

The creation of the bicycle sparked social, women’s rights and transportation changes across the world. The creation and popularization of the bicycle was crucial as a mode of transportation, but it also had many other impacts. Cycling became a social activity, and many people started becoming members of clubs and associations that promoted cycling as well as camaraderie. Once cycling became popularized, the trend spread to women as well. This sparked a change in the freedom that women had, both in dress and traveling alone. I researched the different impacts of the bicycle in the Watkinson Library and found three sources that particularly stood out to me.

The first item I found in the library was the “Connecticut Bicycle Club” booklet that

Stockton. This is a story about a man who travels around on his bicycle, meets women and goes on numerous adventures through different villages and towns. The first reason I was interested in this source is because it contains photographs of women bicycling, which was a huge change in women’s rights because it allowed women to have more freedom and wear more practical clothing when cycling. Before women began cycling, their social lives were supervised and dictated by men. The bicycle offered women freedom from the duties and restrictions of their daily lives, and gave them the ability to travel without the help of a man. Shorter skirts and even bloomers started to become acceptable for women as the bicycle gained more popularity. At first, the idea of women cycling on their own and dressing differently was not widely accepted. In the beginning of the book, a women commented "I wish I were a man… and could go off as I pleased, as you do! It must be delightfully independent” (A Bicycle of Cathay, Page 5). However, as the book goes on, the character encounters a women who is riding her bicycle alone, miles from home. The women is pictured in a shorter skirt and boots that are more practical to cycle in. I thought the most interesting part of this book was the difference in opinion that people had regarding the bicycle. Some people thought it was very strange that the main character was