Mad or Magnificent? Mothers Who Cycle With Their Children in The UK

Whilst much research has been carried out looking at the relationship between women and cycling, less is known about the experiences of mothers cycling in the UK with their children (aged 11 and under) for utility journeys. This study uses social practice theory as its framework, in particular, the Shove et al. (2012) three element model is employed to show the different materials, meanings and competences used in the practice of mothers cycling with their children in the UK.

A mixed method approach was pursued including 3 focus groups with 10 women who work in the cycling industry. The findings from the focus groups helped shape a survey which was distributed via social media and completed by 1,351 mothers. In addition, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents of the survey, carefully chosen to represent mothers using different cycle configurations, varying number of children and living in different geographical areas of the UK.

Cycling practices were constantly adapted by mothers to deal with different infrastructure types, weather conditions and as their children grew. Many mothers purchased additional equipment to make their practice feel more comfortable and safer for themselves and their children. This included materials to keep themselves and children dry and warm, such as waterproofs, rain covers and items to make themselves more visible such as flags, high visibility clothing and stickers attached to their cycles.

Mothers expressed a preference for infrastructure which was separated from motorised forms of transport, such as shared use paths and protected cycle paths but also quiet roads. However, many mothers had to navigate barriers such as guard railing or other obstructions on shared use routes, which often caused issues for those using non-standard cycles such as cargo cycles, trailers and child seats.

The mothers taking part in this study were very committed to cycling and expressed the joy of cycling with their children. Nevertheless, negative incidents when cycling, such as verbal abuse, careless and dangerous driving and sub-par infrastructure were common. These incidents frequently left mothers questioning their choice to cycle with their children due to concerns about safety. However, because the majority of mothers were highly motivated to cycle, in most circumstances they were able to rationalise the negative experiences and continue with their practice.