Women in cycling still a minority

BikeBiz’s 2009 industry salary survey has revealed that women are still woefully underrepresented in the trade, with as little as five per cent of the UK’s bicycle business made of females.

The research reinforces the view that the trade is a male dominated industry, despite a reported influx in the market for women’s bikes and accessories.

However, the BikeBiz survey also revealed that where women are in employment in the bike business, pay packets are notably higher than those of male counterparts. Based on the survey respondents, women in the industry are earning between £20,000 and £25,000 per annum, with two of the sixteen female respondents even placing their pay packet in the £50,000 and above bracket.

CoreBike organiser and F-At commercial manager Elaine Curtin told BikeBiz why she thought why women are often so successful in a male dominated trade:

"Girls who wish to be successful in a predominantly male marketplace know we have to be more assertive and stand our ground a little harder when conducting business matters. We have to. But for the same reason I believe this enables us to get away with being a little pushy – and sometimes this is what is needed to change minds, market new concepts and persuade clients to invest in projects.

“We are often truly a great asset to any team and business."

BikeBiz’s research also found that the majority of respondents overall stated their annual pay packet falls between £15,000 and £20,000, significantly below the national average of £24,908.

The voluntary questionnaire was posted online during January, with 324 UK trade members voicing their opinions on a variety of topics – from pensions and salary, to job loss and overseas work.