Source: BBC
Context: India’s schoolgirls are quietly leading a cycling revolution, driven by state-run free bicycle schemes. In rural areas, cycling among girls has more than doubled over a decade, boosting school attendance and reducing dropout rates. This movement, though underreported, is transforming lives, especially in states like Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Chhattisgarh, where bicycles are empowering girls with mobility and education.
Impact of the Cycling Revolution:
- Increased School Attendance: More girls are attending school regularly.
- Reduced Dropout Rates: Fewer girls are dropping out of school.
- Empowerment: Enhanced confidence and mobility for girls.
- Gender Gap Reduction: A rise in cycling in India had occurred among rural girls – increasing more than two times from 4.5% in 2007 to 11% in 2017 – narrowing the gender gap in education and transportation.
- Educational Access: Improved access to education in rural areas.
- Economic Mobility: Potential for better employment opportunities in the future.
- Social Change: Challenging traditional gender roles and promoting self-reliance.
American suffragist Susan B Anthony famously said that the bicycle “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance”.
