This editorial piece is written by Mona Khatib – BYCS Marketing & Communications Manager. This piece highlights the importance of supporting women caregivers worldwide, as part of BYCS’ CareGiving Month Campaign. You can contribute to this effort by donating here.
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It’s not a secret that we live in a world obsessed with speed. Everything around us is designed to move faster. Production, labour, even communication. Efficiency has become a measure of worth, and slowing down gets looked down on. But what does that say about us, about the kind of society we are building, and more importantly, who gets left behind in the constant rush?
Humans adapt quickly. Too quickly, sometimes. We learn to pick up the faster pace and we forget that pausing is necessary. We forget that taking a step back to reflect is not a form of laziness, but kindness. That taking time for ourselves and for one another is care, real human care.
We start life as children surrounded by care. We get bathed, clothed, fed, held, protected. But somewhere along the way, the weight of care stopped being shared, and began to fall mostly on women. Globally, over 70% of caregiving work is done by women and girls.* They make countless invisible trips that allow our lives to run smoothly: bringing the children to school, to doctors’ appointments, to sports practice, stopping by the supermarket, visiting elderly relatives. They’re the ones who make sure we are fed, safe, and seen. Our women caregivers are making the journeys that keep our households running and hold families and communities together, too often without recognition or rest.
Of course, our men also care, and care deeply. But the truth is, care has been systemically gendered. For generations, women have proudly been the primary caregivers and have found deep purpose and fulfilment in nurturing others. Yet, their care has too often been taken for granted, turned from an act of love to an expectation, from dignity to a duty. Around 40% of women’s daily trips are for care-related purposes, compared to 9% for men*. That’s not just a statistic, it’s a mirror of our societal expectations. When women’s movement and time are devoted to sustaining others, it’s treated as ordinary. Expected. Unpaid. Unseen. But caregiving is not ordinary, it is essential. It is the foundation of our societies, our economies, our survival. It deserves respect. And in a world that glorifies speed and output, choosing to care, and making space for care, is an act of love and of resistance.
image: Bicitekas, Bicicatarinas Wings of Freedom
This isn’t just a social gap, it’s a mobility gap. The ability to move freely is not a given, especially for women caregivers in low-income communities. In cities across the world, these women spend hours each day navigating unsafe streets, unreliable transport, rising costs, and the real risk of verbal or physical harassment. In Mexico City, a study of the bike-share programme* found that safety concerns and sexual harassment were key barriers to women cycling. These risks make even everyday rides, especially with a child, feel extremely unsafe. Mobility is their invisible labour, yet it’s rarely recognised as such.
But change is possible, and already happening. From Mexico City to Istanbul to Bengaluru, women are rewriting the script. They’re finding ways to reclaim their time and their right to move safely, and in doing so, they gain much more than movement – they gain power.
In Mexico City, BYCS partnered with the local NGO Bicitekas to run the Bicicatarinas Wings of Freedom program, helping low-income mothers and caregivers rediscover independence on a bicycle. Through bike-lending, road safety, and mechanics workshops, women learned to cycle confidently, often for the first time. Within weeks, women reported feeling more energetic, saving on daily transport costs, and finding community through shared rides. Bicicatarinas proving that cycling can be a source of both freedom and connection.
image: Bicitekas, Bicicatarinas Wings of Freedom
In Istanbul, BYCS supported the Chain Breaking Mamas initiative, encouraging mothers to cycle with their children through a two-month gamified program. The idea was to turn everyday errands into small adventures leading to new skills and knowledge. From fixing their bikes together to planning new cycling routes. Each participant left with a bicycle, new skills, and the power to navigate her city on her own terms.
In Bengaluru, BYCS worked with the social agency Purpose to run the Cycle Schools for Caregivers program that invited women caregivers to learn, share, and imagine safer, more caring mobility. The program gave women a platform to speak about mobility as a right, not a privilege. Through workshops, art, and group rides, they voiced a simple yet powerful demand: Care workers deserve safe streets and the freedom to move independently. Their stories remind us that mobility is about belonging.
image: Areli Carréon, Alumni Bicycle Mayor of Mexico City
At BYCS, we believe that mobility is more than transport. It’s a matter of justice, equity, and care. Cycling in particular can be a tool of liberation. It saves time and money, creates access to jobs, education, and essential services. It also creates moments of connection, such as cycling your child to school instead of being trapped in a crowded commute.
Through our November ‘25 initiative, CareGiving Month, we’re shining a light on the women who carry our cities on their backs. Women who make daily trips that hold families and communities together. By supporting them and shining a light on them, we aim to raise funds so that we can provide them with access to bicycles, training, and the liberty of moving more safely around in their city. Rather than improving mobility, we are redistributing care. Because care work should not be invisible, and mobility should not be a privilege. They are both essential rights and reclaiming them is how we build more caring cities and future generations.
Donate today to help women caregivers around the world gain the freedom to move safely for themselves and their families.
Citations:
UN Women, “Substantive Equality for Women”, 22-61.
Ravensbergen, Fournier and Ahmend, “Exploratory Analysis of Mobility of Care”, 1499–1509.
Ravensberger, Buliung, Sersli, “Vélomobilities of care in a low-cycling city”, 336-347.