Are women under represented here ?

[GeorgiaGuzzi]

Or posting..
It’s not that I hadn’t noticed that they rarely post..
Just wondered why.

It’s a zombie 🧟‍♂️ thread! Lol!

Seriously I think part of the issue that most women post less is because of what they are subjected to by online males in general. I’m NOT referring to members here. However, if females post in male dominated message boards or Facebook groups, they experience certain behaviors and prejudices that as males we are rarely, if ever subjected to. Especially by “thirsty” online basement dwellers. There are quite a few ladies MC here in ATL, even a Hayabusa female riders group. Those ladies got some skills! But how many male riders relegate women to “lightweight” bikes? Even tho in all honesty their physical prowess is equal to if not higher than a few “geezers” here and elsewhere? I get “hit on” initially on Facebook bc my screen name is Robin, a family nickname, and I have a pic of my wife and I. People on Facebook groups assume Robin=girl so they start being really chatty. When I mention I’m the large ugly white dude, not the cute chick, the chattiness stops quick fast and in a hurry. I also like video games. I’m not even going to go into the chauvinism there. It’s pathetic. Anyways, I think the ladies being quiet and riding their ride is due in large part to male behavior. That’s just my opinion and I’m firm in said opinion.

[Huzo]

That’s what I suspected. But I further suspect that if any female posted here and was subject to intimidatory or predatory behaviour, the mods would kill it instantly.
I still think that the perceived possibility of this stuff occurring, is enough to make the vast majority of women think.
“Bugger it all, it’s not worth it...”
Guzzi Gal suggests that she has not encountered any such nonsense which is a welcome piece of news. Anyway, I just thought I’d drag it out onto the bench under the light..

[SIR REAL ED]

I would think that no one is underrepresented here.  Any one who feels like posting can.

Shame on all y'all for engaging in stereotyping and group thinking.  Oh crap, I just did the same.....   

[Huzo]

I would think that no one is underrepresented here.  Any one who feels like posting can.

Shame on all y'all for engaging in stereotyping and group thinking.  Oh crap, I just did the same.....   

But SRE, that is entirely the point..
Anyone who feels like posting can, so that begs the question.
Why are there so few posts ? I cannot see the logic in the thinking that no particular demographic is under represented, when the clear evidence says the contrary.
It’s really simple, how many girls, how many guys ? The very fact that there are so few posts acknowledging the fact, is rather damning.
But anyway, it’s not a question that has to have an answer. Just a bit of consideration.

[Ncdan]

But SRE, that is entirely the point..
Anyone who feels like posting can, so that begs the question.
Why are there so few posts ? I cannot see the logic in the thinking that no particular demographic is under represented, when the clear evidence says the contrary.
It’s really simple, how many girls, how many guys ? The very fact that there are so few posts acknowledging the fact, is rather damning.
But anyway, it’s not a question that has to have an answer. Just a bit of consideration.

Huzo, I think the entire concept of who post here and why can be simplified where even folks like you and I can understand. The members who post, for, the most part, follow the forum daily and for the most part consider this forum a part of our daily entertainment or at least if not daily weekly regiment. Therefore these folks are the ones who post. Ladies for the most part don’t see forums on motorcycles as an essential part of their day as they spend most of their time taking care of their families which is another full time job for women who already work full time jobs.
Did I do good GG😉

[Ncdan]

I’m sure that’s true in a hell of a lot of cases Nc.
Also a lot of exchanges here (not all), are no more than thinly disguised peeing contests. These are not classically the entertainment pastime of choice for women.

You must keep in mind that our women in the US are kind of difference from y’all’s 😂😂
However I agree with you that too many simply search for a pissing contest for sure.
By the way, what time is it where you’re at?

[Huzo]

You must let in mind that our women in the US are kink of difference from y’all’s 😂😂
However I agree with you that too many simply search for a pissing contest for sure.
By the way, what time is it where you’re at?

We are about 14 hrs ahead depending on location in U.S. and Oz.

[Lannis]

 I get “hit on” initially on Facebook bc my screen name is Robin, a family nickname, and I have a pic of my wife and I. People on Facebook groups assume Robin=girl so they start being really chatty. When I mention I’m the large ugly white dude, not the cute chick, the chattiness stops quick fast and in a hurry.

It's like that here on WG.   A dude posts on the 'Introductions' thread, and then posts something about his bike, and nobody says nothin'.

A girl biker posts, maybe posts a picture of her with her bike (and we're assuming she's not a 6'4" Nigerian posting as Svenka, a former member of the Swedish Bikini Team), and the guys on the list here are tumbling all over themselves trying to open doors for her, and light her cigarette, and make welcoming comments.

I've probably done it myself, in the name of "courtesy" and "good manners", but it's funny when I watch other guys do it.   They don't think it's funny when I comment on it, though ... 

Lannis

[Guzzi Gal]

Huzo, I think the entire concept of who post here and why can be simplified where even folks like you and I can understand. The members who post, for, the most part, follow the forum daily and for the most part consider this forum a part of our daily entertainment or at least if not daily weekly regiment. Therefore these folks are the ones who post. Ladies for the most part don’t see forums on motorcycles as an essential part of their day as they spend most of their time taking care of their families which is another full time job for women who already work full time jobs.
Did I do good GG

You did, Ncdan.  Visiting here was a daily thing for me until I had to get back to being paid to work instead of working as a stay-at-home-moto-riding-mom. 

It's like that here on WG.   A dude posts on the 'Introductions' thread, and then posts something about his bike, and nobody says nothin'.

A girl biker posts, maybe posts a picture of her with her bike (and we're assuming she's not a 6'4" Nigerian posting as Svenka, a former member of the Swedish Bikini Team), and the guys on the list here are tumbling all over themselves trying to open doors for her, and light her cigarette, and make welcoming comments.

I've probably done it myself, in the name of "courtesy" and "good manners", but it's funny when I watch other guys do it.   They don't think it's funny when I comment on it, though ... 

Lannis

Initially, this may be true, although less so here than some other forums, it fades as the nouvelle-fem becomes familiar.  On the Modern Vespa forum, there are quite a few regular women posters but the venue itself is a lot less active than WG.  I greatly enjoy the company, knowledge, support humor, cooking and yes, even the pissing contests that can be found here.  WG almost always has something interesting to dig into whenever you care to drop in.

[Ncdan]

See, I told you Huzo, what GG said 😂😂😂🤣🤣😉

[Huzo]

See, I told you Huzo, what GG said 😂😂😂🤣🤣😉

Well...Yes.

[SIR REAL ED]

It's like that here on WG.   A dude posts on the 'Introductions' thread, and then posts something about his bike, and nobody says nothin'.

A girl biker posts, maybe posts a picture of her with her bike (and we're assuming she's not a 6'4" Nigerian posting as Svenka, a former member of the Swedish Bikini Team), and the guys on the list here are tumbling all over themselves trying to open doors for her, and light her cigarette, and make welcoming comments.

I've probably done it myself, in the name of "courtesy" and "good manners", but it's funny when I watch other guys do it.   They don't think it's funny when I comment on it, though ... 

Lannis

Excellent observation.  I suspect that is part of our male semi-human nature.  Same with women who love their kids a lot more than the guy who impregnated her.

Seems more satisfying to help out a women, even something as simple as holding a door.

With guys, the default is often good natured ribbing or outright pecker measuring.

XY is more resilient than XX!

In a similar vein,
Joe:  "I read a report the other day that women are more articulate then men."
Fred: "Duh!"

[Huzo]

The answer to that question is, I believe, "We don't need to do anything."
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

Your response has obviously been trimmed for brevity here and your observations are astute.
But you touch obliquely on my point, there is no “no girls allowed” sign, if there was, the question would be moot.
Ladies for the most part are not here because they don’t want to be, you don’t have to be Pythagoras to figure that out.
Therin lay the crux of the question..
Why do they not want to be ?
If they are just too busy with home duties etc, then the answer is get off our collective arses and help out a bit.
Those who couldn’t care less why they shy away in droves, have just answered the question.
It’s never been that they are (mostly) not here, it’s WHY is it such an unattractive option ?
I don’t care if YOU don’t care and YOU don’t care if I don’t, but I thought a little introspective examination could not be a bad thing.
I do like your closing premise though

[Lannis]

Your response has obviously been trimmed for brevity here and your observations are astute.
But you touch obliquely on my point, there is no “no girls allowed” sign, if there was the question would be moot.
Ladies for the most part are not here because they don’t want to be, you don’t have to be Pythagoras to figure that out.
Theron lies the crux of the question..
Why do they not want to be ?
If they are just too busy with home duties etc, then the answer is get of our collective arses and help out a bit.
Those who couldn’t care less why they shy away in droves have just answered the question.
It’s never been that they are (mostly) not here, it’s WHY is it such an unattractive option.
I don’t care if YOU don’t care and YOU don’t care if I don’t, but I thought a little introspective examination could not be a bad thing.
I do like your closing premise though

Let me think a minute, it's only been 4 years since my last response ....

There are other areas of life, hobby, and sport where women are at NO physical or competitive disadvantage to men, but they are very much underrepresented in their participation.

Competitive billiards/snooker/pool is one example.   Women have the patience, the "eye", and the coordination to excel heads-up with men, but they don't (in general) participate.   Is it because pool has the "cachet" of smokey bars, liquor, cigars, fighting, betting, etc?   You'd think that that would be far in the past, but ...

Competitive shooting ... well, enuf said, but the same thing exactly.  Is it because the history and derivation of such is from traditionally manly exploits like hunting and war?   Again, no reason for that to extend into today, you just buy the right equipment, get the right trainer, and go to work, but very few women do it.

Suppose we were in a bass fishing club.   How many women (not as partners with their man, but themselves) would be members of a club with 100 members?  Two?  Four?   Not more than six.   Why not?   It's not a rugby match, where even large men get beat up and women would get literally killed, it's not tennis, where a men's city tennis champion can beat a women's Wimbledon winner, it's not baseball or track where there's a massive performance difference.   Any woman could get a bass boat, the right tackle, a trailer, and be out there hooking lunkers with any man around.   And bragging about it on any of a hundred fishing forums on-line.  Why don't they?

Motorcycling, or Guzzi-ing, is the same way.   Women, as independent riders, are way under-represented, always have been, so of course they're going to be under-represented on this or any other bike discussion forum.   

So for any of those things, there's no way you're going to "convince" or "encourage" women to suddenly start playing pool, bass-fishing, elk-hunting, Guzzi-riding, or anything else like that in numbers approaching 50% or even 20% or even 10% of the participating demographic.

And why would anyone try?   Is "equality of outcome" that much more important than "equality of opportunity"?   It'll never work ... and "helping around the house" so that they'll have more time to get away and practice their 3-cushion shots or figure out how to get a grease gun onto the spine-frame drive shaft grease nipples ... well that does sound silly now that I've said it ....

Just have to blame sexual dimorphism.

Lannis

[Huzo]

Jeez, that 4 years between responses went fast..
Back in a previous life, I uncharacteristicall y became involved on a fairly fruity debate on the topic of women glider pilots.
There was going to be an award for “Top Woman Glider Pilot” handed out at the National comps..
I said that to do so would have been seen as condescending at best and insulting at worst. To create a specific category based on what the Pilot is sitting on, is disingenuous and detracts from the quality of achievement. It implies that the award would not have gone to her had she not been under some “disadvantage” due to her gender.
I suggested that the award could be re badged as the award for...
“Best effort by a male who competed against a gender that has superior powers of endurance, concentration, multi tasking, situational awareness and evenness of demeanour”
The ensuing pushing match was more entertaining than the competition. True nirvana of sexual equality will be reached when the average respondent would not be immediately away are what the M/F ratio is..
No one here has yet said that they hadn’t noticed, so they knew the situation existed.

[Lannis]

Jeez, that 4 years between responses went fast..
Back in a previous life, I uncharacteristicall y became involved on a fairly fruity debate on the topic of women glider pilots.
There was going to be an award for “Top Woman Glider Pilot” handed out at the National comps..

Sounds like to me that we like to "create" issues where there really aren't any issues.

Here on WG, there's no one complaining, and ESPECIALLY no women complaining, that "there aren't enough women on WG" ... it's not a real problem, just a sort of thing to talk about.

And with the glider pilots, it wasn't a problem until someone decided that there had to be "Awards".   We need to ask ourselves "Why did there need to be an award?"   We all like doing it - at our Guzzi rallies we give out Awards to Long Distance Male Rider, Long Distance Female Rider, Oldest Rider, Youngest Rider, and we need to ask ourselves - Why do we feel that we have to do that?

Why this insidious differentiation depending on XX or XY chromosomes, or chronological age, or any other characteristic that we have no control over, any more than we are responsible for the shape of our grandfathers' legs?   

And the second we do it, everyone's concerned about "fairness" and "equality" and "balance" and making sure that everyone's happy and no one feels left out .... ?

We're like the guy who sets a building afire, then runs to the fire station, puts on his turnout gear, and hops on the pumper truck ....

Maybe it's just something to talk about.   We're doing a FANTASTIC job of that!   Four years ... if it were solvable, we'd have it by now ... !

Lannis

[Huzo]

Ummm....... Not many Female Guzzi Riders?????? Besides what sane woman would want to be in a forum with a bunch of old grumpy ugly CHEAP guys? 

Who said they had to be sane..?

[SIR REAL ED]

An imaginary problem easily solved by the existing male WG posters simply changing their gender via surgery.

Who wants to be a real leader in this community.......

C'mon now, most of you are old enough that you're not using the wedding tackle anymore anyway..... and think how much better you will be treated online once you take the plunge.

Lady's night, you get in free.  Lots of benefits for the adventurous.

Personally, I'd really miss peeing in the woods standing up.