Are women under represented here ?

[Huzo]

There's no particular reason I ask other than curiosity, but what % of our members are women ? It's possible of course that because we have forum names, that there's more than I think. Would the % of female forum members be less than that of female (Guzzi) riders in general ? If so, why would that possibly be, and I'm not heading anywhere in particular with the question. Do I remember correctly that Hardaspie is a woman rider ? I can only think of one, but then I haven't been here long.

[SundayRider]

There's no particular reason I ask other than curiosity, but what % of our members are women ? It's possible of course that because we have forum names, that there's more than I think. Would the % of female forum members be less than that of female (Guzzi) riders in general ? If so, why would that possibly be, and I'm not heading anywhere in particular with the question. Do I remember correctly that Hardaspie is a woman rider ? I can only think of one, but then I haven't been here long.

Interesting question.  (I'm a guy BTW, so not one of the riders you're wondering is here or not).

Kind of begs the question - under-represented compared to what?  The population in general?  Riders in general?  You mentioned among Guzzi riders.  Guzzi riders in English-speaking countries?  All over the world?  In Italy? 

I think under-represented compared to the population is a given.  But for the other comparisons, there don't seem to be too many measures out there.  Here are a few answers, though not many:
http://www.womenridersnow.com/pages/About_Women_Riders_Now.aspx
which points to Motorcycle Industry Council statistics that show 14% of motorcycle owners in the US are women, and that 25% of riders in the US are women.  No brands though.

Another article that points to the same MIC stats:
http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/number-of-women-riders-hits-all-time-high

This shows something like 5% of Indian riders are women:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-19697067

But all of this of course begs the question of how many ride Guzzis

[oldbike54]

 Gearheadgrrl , Sincolita , Ambogal , Dulcenea , Luap's Girl , and some more that are escaping me at the moment . You are correct , the ladies are underrepresented , although most are just too busy to post much .

 Dusty

[redrider90]

Under represented implies that there are biker women who do not belong to the group that some how should be on this board.  How many women Guzzi owners are there or for that matter what is the % of women who are bikers of all brands? My experience is I do not see many women out there riding anything bigger than a large scooter. So my answer would be they are not under represented here because there is a very small % of women who ride. And an even smaller % who rider Guzzis. Before the latest V7 models how bikes did Guzzi produce that the average 5'6' women could comfortably sit on much less handle? Esp. with all the scores of Japanese bikes available for those with smaller frames.

[Triple Jim]

My guess would be that women are represented in proportion with women Guzzi owners.  The Ninja 250 board seems to have a higher percentage of women members than this board, which makes sense, since as Harvey was getting at, Ninja 250s are probably more popular among women than Guzzis, due to their small size and light weight.

[cloudbase]

Absolutely underrepresented.  To be fully represented, every female Guzzi rider would have to be on the board.  I know two who are not.  Not every male Guzzi rider is here, either, so they're underrepresented as well.

Signing up here is an act of self-selection.

[Sheepdog]

It's a pity that there are not more women here. I sorta understand, as this can seem like a boy's club at first glance. I've always been fascinated with other folk's opinions...a woman's perspective is always a welcome addition to this forum.

[JJ]

Absolutely underrepresented.  To be fully represented, every female Guzzi rider would have to be on the board.  I know two who are not.  Not every male Guzzi rider is here, either, so they're underrepresented as well.

Signing up here is an act of self-selection.

Would tend to agree... - - underrepresented, in general...but that's because we are comprised mostly of................. ........"Guzzi Geezers!!" (LOL)

...and here is the photographic PROOF!! 

"We are old...we are cranky...some of us are notoriously "CHEAP"...but the one thing we all have in common....we RIDE Moto Guzzi's!!" (LOL)

Have a great (...and safe) weekend everyone!!  :1:


image upload for forums

[oldbike54]

 We do have a gender and generation gap situation on WG . Now , some of this is simply because we are largely a bunch of old GUYS with our own long held opinions . However , some of it can come from misunderstandings . Most of us probably don't really have a problem with hipsters , or young folks in general , but things get said in jest , or as a means to poke fun at ourselves , and get misinterpreted by a young member . We had an incident recently where a member completely misunderstood a statement that was intended as a gentle poke at us curmudgeons , and the guy left in a huff , despite our best efforts to explain what happened . Probably the same with some of our female WGer's . Not criticizing here , we are actually a decent bunch , but at times , well , we do need to be cognizant of the fact that as a subculture inside of a subculture , alienating folks is counterproductive.

  I'll shut up now , carry on .

  Dusty

[rocker59]

Because of screen names, and the fact that we don't keep track, we don't really know.

There are more women here than most of you realize.  They just keep a lower profile than most of the d00ds.

In fact, there are many members, men and women, who are here and browsing but keep a low profile.

[oldbike54]

Because of screen names, and the fact that we don't keep track, we don't really know.

There are more women here than most of you realize.  They just keep a lower profile than most of the d00ds.

In fact, there are many members, men and women, who are here and browsing but keep a low profile.

 If you think about what Rocker is saying here , my screen name , and what I sign with are not any indication of gender . Of course several of you guys actually know me , and fortunately (or unfortunately for me) no woman ever has been as , er , unattractive as this poor Okie 

 Dusty

[JJ]

Bottom-line............................ (and one can analyze and slice any way you choose.....) but the fact and reality remains........we are in the kingdom of......... "Guzzi Geezers!!" (LOL) 

[oldbike54]

 JJ, no truer statement has ever been made 

 Dusty

[LowRyter]

but it works both ways since Dusty is the only male in his sewing circle. 

[oldbike54]

 I am now that you left John , but ya gotta admit , it has its perks 

 Dusty

[ohiorider]

The women.  Maybe under-represented, but not under-appreciated!  I've been attending the Guzzi breakfast in NE Ohio at Mike's Place in Kent for over 6 years.  And truly appreciate the work the women put into making this chapter of Guzzi work.  Actually there's little or no gender difference.  Just a great group of Guzzi riders that don't much give a damn whether a member is male or female. 

[Huzo]

Ok, what can/(should?), be done about it ?

[Texas Turnip]

One of the highest mileage Guzzi riders is a woman with the screen name of Beaver out of Lindale< TX. She is too busy to post much with work, grandkids and doing her best to keep me in line.

Tex

[oldbike54]

Ok, what can/(should?), be done about it ?

 A question probably best answered by our female members .

 Dusty

[Aaron D.]

My wife threatens to join but I tell her all the good stuff anyway.

[Arizona Wayne]

I don't see any problem here.  How many women do you see at a Guzzi Rally?  And those you see are mostly married to the guys who ride Guzzis.   Some are just passengers(like my wife most the time). Nothing against women but there just aren't that many that ride their own bike.

Now at scooter events there are more women who ride just like the men.   So what sex you are doesn't matter in the least.   All that matters is if you enjoy doing the same thing. 

[Huzo]

Absolutely underrepresented.  To be fully represented, every female Guzzi rider would have to be on the board.  I know two who are not.  Not every male Guzzi rider is here, either, so they're underrepresented as well.

Signing up here is an act of self-selection.

Well then, if there are something like 10 female forum members and I can think of one (Hardaspie) who has posted recently, (interestingly it was about entry level motorcycling and the boys were happy to help), that would be 10% of forum members among women who have posted. Would the proportion of male members who post be higher than 10% ? IF that was true then you might conclude that the girls want to stand back and watch and feel that their input would not be welcome (unlikely!), are intimidated by some of the goings on (possibly), or feel out of their depth with respect to our experience and general fantasticness. Jeez you'd hope not ! Just thinking that some (not all) of us would enjoy our Guzzi life more if our wives/girlfriends were more invested in what we do, and that situation can be brought about more readily if you feel that your opinion is worth hearing and you don't have to defend everything you say when it degenerates into a slanging match. Now of course if the women began an on forum argument, then.... (no, just pretend I didn't say that). Just in the spirit of greater participation, (not precipitation!).

[Huzo]

I don't see any problem here.

No nor do I Wayne, I don't see it as a problem I just wondered why, and I suggest that they may have more to bring to the table than serving coffee and making sandwiches in the cold at rallies. As you say Dusty, is it possible the girls could enlighten us, or rely on their men to speak for them ?

[oldbike54]

 Huzo , the membership roles have been pruned down to about 5,000 , so let's say 4800 men . You can do some basic math and see that maybe 5% are active despite efforts to increase participation . Not sure it is due to "slang" , some folks are just shy . It is always a bit surprising to meet folks at a rally that know me from the forum , and yet rarely if ever post .

 Dusty

[ITSec]

As has been noted, there are any number of factors - what portion of riders altogether are women, what kind of bikes attract what kinds of people, the fact that participation in a forum is a matter of self-selection and identification with others, and many more reasons.

There are some other important groups, demographic and otherwise, that are under-represented on this board, and perhaps among Guzzi owners and even motorcycle riders in general.

For example, there are far too few

• Left-handed people
• Cat owners
• Subaru owners (and Lancia owners, and SAAB owners, and...)
• Formula 1 enthusiasts
• World Rally Championship enthusiasts
• People who choose not to own a gun (but aren't worried if others do)
• Old-fashioned left-wingers (i.e., prairie populists, New Dealers and so on)
• People who studied history and political science in university - and still do
• Science fiction fans, especially those who like both classic SF and new stuff like cyberpunk
• Anime fans - for that matter fans of any style of animation
• People who admire classic machinery - but would rather live with modern convenience (I hate carbs!)

I know I've missed some... 

[oldbike54]

 Cousin IT , you forgot ambidextrous Taoists that bat right and throw left 

 Dusty

[Guzzistajohn]

Gearheadgrrl , Sincolita , Ambogal , Dulcenea , Luap's Girl , and some more that are escaping me at the moment . You are correct , the ladies are underrepresented , although most are just too busy to post much .

 Dusty

Don't forget beaver

[Lannis]

No nor do I Wayne, I don't see it as a problem I just wondered why, and I suggest that they may have more to bring to the table than serving coffee and making sandwiches in the cold at rallies. As you say Dusty, is it possible the girls could enlighten us, or rely on their men to speak for them ?

It's like the concern about "We all seem to be Old Guys.   What are we going to do to bring more young people into the "Guzzi Fold" (or "Classic Bike Fold", or any other "fold")?   The hobby is going to die out if we don't do something!".

The answer to that question is, I believe, "We don't need to do anything."   I mean, what did anyone do to bring ME into the motorcycling fraternity (hey look, a sexist term!)?   Nobody had some sort of "young people recruitment program" to make sure I got interested in motorcycling, or signed up on WG or anywhere else.   They built it, I looked, saw, and liked it, and signed up.  Simple as that.  It'll keep happening, and if it doesn't, so what?

Same for women, I suspect.   There's no "No Girls Allowed" sign on the treehouse door.   The women that participate here participate as equals, (although I do note that when a new female introduces herself, there's a lot of guys tripping over each other to hold the door for her, but you'll never get away from that).   

At our last couple rallies, there were 4 or 5 women riding their own bikes in, and as many more riding pillion, and as far as I can tell, there's no "bar" to membership ...

I'm trying to wean myself away from the idea that if we don't have a due proportion of female or Irish or gay or black or Muslim or atheist or transvestite members in any given organization, then we're an "-ist" or a "-phobe" of some sort and it has to be remedied through a 'diversity' program of some kind ....

I agree with you though, that if any woman participating here sees some sort of "barrier" to participation that I (by definition, being a male) can't see, I'd like to hear what that is.   I suspect, though, they haven't got time to waste on it!

Lannis

[Huzo]

As has been noted, there are any number of factors - what portion of riders altogether are women, what kind of bikes attract what kinds of people, the fact that participation in a forum is a matter of self-selection and identification with others, and many more reasons.

There are some other important groups, demographic and otherwise, that are under-represented on this board, and perhaps among Guzzi owners and even motorcycle riders in general.

For example, there are far too few

• Left-handed people
• Cat owners
• Subaru owners (and Lancia owners, and SAAB owners, and...)
• Formula 1 enthusiasts
• World Rally Championship enthusiasts
• People who choose not to own a gun (but aren't worried if others do)
• Old-fashioned left-wingers (i.e., prairie populists, New Dealers and so on)
• People who studied history and political science in university - and still do
• Science fiction fans, especially those who like both classic SF and new stuff like cyberpunk
• Anime fans - for that matter fans of any style of animation
• People who admire classic machinery - but would rather live with modern convenience (I hate carbs!)

I know I've missed some... 

Do you know how many in each category there are IT ? How would you know if they were there ?

[LowRyter]

I am now that you left John , but ya gotta admit , it has its perks 

 Dusty

It's tough work.  I still have needle pricks all over my fingers.

In the real world,
I can barely sew a button.  I really respect those folks that have sewing skills.