Bicycle lessons, activity participation and empowerment

Abstract

This paper addresses the impact of bicycle lessons for immigrant and refugee women on bicycle use and activity participation. Especially non-Western immigrant and refugee women have been identified as one of the population groups most likely to experience accessibility problems and, subsequently, transport-related social exclusion. The bicycle offers considerable potential to increase the mobility of these women. Hence, in the Netherlands and elsewhere, governments and non-governmental organizations have set up bicycle lessons for immigrant and refugee women. The paper discusses the impacts of these lessons on their bicycle use and activity participation. It draws on a quantitative survey and a series of in-depth interviews among non-Western immigrant women in Amsterdam. The results show that the impacts of the bicycle lessons vary. Some participants use the bicycle for everyday purposes, while others still face constraints preventing bicycle use for regular errands. The impacts on activity participation are limited. At the same time, the lessons have substantially improved women's feelings of self-esteem and self-confidence.