A piece in The Atlantic on a new book on bicycles and their role in the empowerment of women: ‘Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way)’.
From the piece, “To men, the bicycle in the beginning was merely a new toy, another machine added to the long list of devices they knew in their work and play. To women, it was a steed upon which they rode into a new world.” ~ Munsey’s Magazine, 1896
Also check out the delightful photographs from Wheels of change.
Here is from an old blog post on women on bicycles in India: The long ride to freedom
Learn to ride the cycle, sister,
Set in motion the wheel of life, sister.
Cars, ships and planes are now piloted by women,
Those days are gone when the drivers were only men.
So learn to ride the cycle quickly,
And begin a new story.
And this lovely photograph (Source: Visible Work, Invisible Women – A photo exhibition by P. Sainath) from South India:
