Gendered mobilities of cycle-touring women in Hainan, China

Abstract

Mobility plays a crucial role in constructing gender. This study provides empirical evidence of this by focusing on both the embodied and situational agencies of women to explore gendered mobilities in cycling tourism. Interviews and observations were used to collect data in Hainan, China. This study found that the bodily practice of cycling allows women to exercise agency by permitting them to express and improve their skills, which further enables them to reconsider gender identities and challenge traditional gender dualism. However, this agency also depended on context. The widely accepted ideas related to cycling and rural public spaces were maintained in cycling tourism. This study contributes to understanding the intersection of cycling mobility and gender through embodied and situational agency.

Keywords:

• Agency
• bodily practice
• construction
• cycling tourism
• mobility

Acknowledgements

We thank the support received the National Natural Science Foundation of China. We also thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers, who gave us a lot of support in improving this study.

Authors’ contributions

The first author Yuan Meng contributes to the main idea, writing and the field work. Xu Honggang and Cui Qingming contribute to the improve of the whole quality of the text, and the idea, writing.

Disclosure statement

No conflict of interest exists in the submission of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China 41771145.