What conclusion does Macy draw in this synthesis of ideas?
These traits led commentators to worry that the differences between the sexes were being blurred, a fear that was reinforced as the four newest states—Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho—granted women the right to vote in the 1890s. Would the bicycle help bring about a new kind of equality between men and women? Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her colleagues certainly hoped so. At any rate, the image of a female cyclist quickly became associated with efforts to win more rights for women.