Episode 14: Dr Fiona Spotswood, researcher, on ‘Project FIAS’ and gender inequality in mountain biking
While things are changing, mountain biking still remains a male dominated sport. But why is this? This is the question that prompted Dr Fiona Spotswood to initiate her research project FIAS: Fostering Inclusive Action Sports. Through interviews and panel discussions with women across the UK - both riders, and those outside MTB - she’s investigated how women perceive mountain biking and the culture around it.
Fiona is herself a passionate mountain biker (and runner, and weight lifter) and loves nothing more than getting out into the hills, exploring, and tackling multi-day stage races. She’s also written for various mountain bike publications, tested kit, and runs a kids mountain bike club in Bristol.
Based in the Business School at the University of Bristol, her particular expertise is social marketing for behaviour change, and she’s long been interested in researching inequalities within sport. Her full title is Associate Professor in Marketing and Consumption, and other research she’s been involved in has looked at motherhood and physical activity, prompted by her own experiences of trying to stay active as a new mum.
The insights she and her co-researchers have gathered so far are eye opening but perhaps not surprising. Many women feel disengaged with traditional mountain bike media, and the general portrayal of mountain biking doesn’t feel welcoming to them - despite concerted efforts by many individuals and brands. But there is good news; when women discover it, they love it, and they also aren’t waiting around for the bike industry to catch up - women are forming their own groups and communities, self-organising, producing ambassadors, and creating the environment, content and experiences they want.
In this episode we touch on her initial results, the importance of events like Red Bull Formation and Red Bull Rampage, the importance of groups that have sprung up like Sisters In The Wild and New Forest Off Road Club, what action can be taken to turn the tide, and the next steps in project FIAS.
Follow Dr Fiona Spotswood:
Find out more about, and follow, the various groups that Fiona mentions during the podcast:
Interested in the research? Here are the various reports and projects that Fiona mentioned during the episode:
Project FIAS
Bicycle Association - Diversity in the Cycling Industry: International Perception Survey Results
Bicycle Association - Diversity in the Cycling Industry resources
View the full transcript for Dr Fiona Spotswood’s episode of the Spindrift Podcast.
This episode was produced and presented by Aoife Glass, and edited by Aoife Glass and Francesca Turauskis (Tremula Network)