A Lib Dem council has been forced to apologise after claiming in an equalities report that e-bikes can help women ‘stay looking nice’ and ‘perform their traditional domestic responsibilities’.
Kingston council received backlash after publishing in an equality impact assessment for a report on an e-bike hire contract that the vehicles ‘may increase women’s access to cycling and physical activity by making it easier for women to meet their traditional domestic responsibilities, as well as stay looking ‘nice’ on a bike’.
Furious residents called out the sexism on Facebook, with one woman writing: ‘Kingston council e-bike sexist horror’, and: ‘Weep, women of Kingston, weep!’
In response, the council issued an apology, saying the original document had contained ‘an outdated and inappropriate’ description of the benefits of cycling for women.
It issued a second version of the report, with corrected language and the inclusion of ‘the wider population’.
The new document read: ‘E-bikes may increase active travel amongst women as well as the wider population by for example enabling carrying of goods or shopping and allowing more complex trip chaining that people with caring responsibilities may face more regularly.’
The report continued: ‘E-bikes are challenging sexism in cycling in important ways – making bike retail and repair environments more inclusive for women, challenging sexism in bike design and marketing and increasing women’s sense of confidence and entitlement to occupy the road space.
‘They are also opening up more empowering and enjoyable opportunities for physical activity to a wider group of women.’
The wording of Kingston Council’s report offended locals, who said: ‘Weep, women of Kingston, weep!’
The offended woman posted in response on social media that the corrected wording ‘still frames women in terms of assumed roles, rather than providing a balanced, evidence-based assessment’.
Kingston council issued a statement on its website, explaining how the language had come to be included.
The public statement read: ‘From our investigations into how this happened we understand this description was a direct quote from a peer reviewed academic paper which was used as part of the research to inform the assessment.
‘While the research quoted highlights how the availability of e-bikes is challenging sexism and making cycling more accessible for some women, we accept that using the quote, especially in isolation and without reference, is likely to cause offence, therefore it should never have been included in the EQIA (equality impact assessment).’
The Daily Mail contacted Kingston Council for comment.
