Bicycles for Development

USING BICYCLES TO COMBAT SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE, PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY, AND ENCOURAGE GENDER-SENSITIVE CLIMATE ACTIVISM IN NICARAGUA 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Bicycles are increasingly being recognized as powerful tools for advancing gender equity and climate justice. Specifically, bicycles have emerged as a distinct area of focus in the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) movement due to their cost-effective, uncompetitive, accessible, and sustainable nature; they can be integrated into everyday life, adapted to local contexts, and linked directly to both individual needs and broader social justice aims. In turn, recent studies have also underlined that bicycles are uniquely positioned to respond to two interconnected challenges: the heightened risks of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and girls. 

This policy brief presents the findings of recent research in Nicaragua, highlighting how bicycles have been used by self-identified women and girls to increase their mobility by: 1) improving their socio-economic circumstances through better access to education and economic opportunities; and 2) reducing exposure to precarious travel conditions associated with SGBV. Our research suggests women and girls who cycle in rural Nicaragua have been able to: challenge restrictive gender norms, participate in climate activism, and build supportive networks through community cycling initiatives. These outcomes underline that bicycles are not only a mode of transport, but also a tool to support feminist climate justice efforts. 

However, significant barriers remain for women and girls who cycle in rural Nicaragua. Poor cycling infrastructure, harassment, and rigid gender norms continue to constrain women’s and girls’ safe use of bicycles. Thus, to maximize the positive impact of bicycles, policymakers and practitioners should focus their efforts on: 1) securing investments in contextually grounded bicycle-friendly public infrastructure; 2) supporting women and girls with continued access to bicycles; 3) developing and delivering technical curricula to support training women and girls’ as mechanics, enhancing their ability to repair and maintain their bikes; and 4) employing decolonial feminist climate justice approaches which are focused on incorporating the lived experiences of climate injustices into BFD programmes and policies. 

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