Quite an interesting read, I thought. Some typically 'of the day' opinions reported on. "Male attitudes present obvious difficulties" . . . Well I never!
Wonder what the proportion of male:female licence holders is today . . .?
Women motor-cyclists
From The Times, February 13, 1921
The coming motor-cycling season will be particularly interesting from the point of view of the woman rider. Last year the question was whether, in spite of the lack of special women’s models and alleged male hostility, enough women would join the ranks of motor-cyclists to make their presence felt. The facts proved that women have no objection to riding standard models. Last summer the woman rider became a familiar sight on the road, and her advent has been greeted with enthusiasm by all but a few “cranks”. The burning question is whether manufacturers will permit their cherished products to be steered to victory or defeat by women in the 1921 Reliability Trials. General opinion is against this. They contend that women are disqualified through lack of capability, experience, and physical strength. Further, they maintain that such an innovation would cause jealousy and dissatisfaction among their male competition-riders. To take these objections in order, the capability of women riders has been proved. In last year’s trials, where a woman entered as a private owner, she invariably made a good showing. As regards experience, few women are at the moment qualified, but experience can only be acquired through actual participation — and how many women can afford to compete, as private owners, with the trade-rider on his specially tuned mount, hot from the works? The remedy is to give women riders a chance to show their mettle on a really good machine. The physical strength objection is easily disposed of. A modern machine needs no running repairs that a woman cannot easily accomplish. As to the hardships of a big trial, will girls who have survived the war as dispatch-riders and VADs be likely to miss a meal or an hours’ sleep or collapse when they are stranded on a lonely mountainside? Male attitudes present obvious difficulties, but if every team had to include at least one woman, the lady member’s success would be necessary for the good of all and soon overcome petty jealousy. No manufacturer can afford to ignore his women clients, and the fact that any machine has been ridden successfully under the most strenuous conditions by one of their own sex will strongly influence other women in its favour.
thetimes.co.uk/archive
