Originally Posted by
grolby
By the way, for those saying that cycling and other sports "will always" be dominated by men: there's no reason that this has to be true unless you want it to be true. Which I suspect is the case, which is sad, but culture will move forward without you. Rowing is a great example of a sport that, in the United States anyway, is near parity. There is nothing organic about male-dominated participation in sports.
Other examples: curling, ice skating (including speed skating), track and field, skiing... all of these sports, if they are not AT parity in competition, are closer to it than cycling is. Why is that? This "sports will always be dominated by men" idea looks a bit weak.
The predominant culture in the US dissuades the concept of female athletes. Many women have thoroughly internalized that culture, and view the idea of sweating to be distinctly unattractive and highly unfeminine.
It's not right, it just is. One could write books on cultural holdovers from our largely Victorian and puritan past.