“Women shouldn't be behind the wheels.”
In life, it is a common
thing when people being stereotype in a community especially when involved about
gender. There are many stereotypes that naturally make a big discrimination between
men and women. As for me, I cannot deny that somehow, sometimes I do stereotype
based from my perspective. Sorry!
First of all, let us
together be familiar with it where stereotyping was defined as an oversimplified
or usually pejorative attitude of people hold toward those outside one’s own
experience who are different. As this kind of thinking take part, it will
result of incomplete or distorted information accepted as fact without question
in return that could make others believe it. There is no doubt that one of most
contentious and prevalent form is gender
where we can see even today that people being stereotyping about women who
driving even rationally it is a “plain” issue.
In fact, there are certain people keep on questioning the
ability of women to drive like men. “Women shouldn't be behind the wheels”,
which the statement that I want to discuss here. Women been portrayed in a
community as the people who in the different class from other people because
women been defined as someone who having their main focus in life to care of
their children, men and house as well as women are emotional and has a poor
decision-making in crisis situation. Then, this aspect cause women as a party
who did not competent of undertaking the responsibility behind the wheel
because it might put them in danger especially in emergency case. But then, it
is not a relevant reason to judge women in that position because as we can see
that many women capable enough to hold higher position in career, university
and even in community as some of them are even better than men.
The stereotype that women are bad in driving was untrue. It
is not unfair because both sexes can drive because they able to require the
license after faced the task given so there are no reasons to questioning about
women who drive. We can see the proved from a research that stated, “Only one
per cent of women, but 14 per cent of men, cut into traffic dangerously, while
24 per cent of men, but only 16 per cent of women, admitted to using hand-held
mobiles while at the wheel.”(Winchester, 2015) So women driving are much safety
than men driving as it did mentioned “Women are on average less aggressive and more
law-abiding drivers -- attributes that lead to fewer accidents.” (Edgerton,
2011)
Technically, men are
more familiar with cars rather than women and honestly I do think so. People
would be stereotype than women do not care particularly when buying or having a
car because women are not caring much about the performance of the car. It is a
wrong perception because women tend to be more specific about the car they want
to use. I did find the evidence through my reading. “When it comes to car
shopping, women are driven by features – engaging in extensive research to find
the best fit – while from the outset many men are revved about a particular car
brand, they are spending more time than men doing research to build confidence
and knowledge.” (Macesich, 2014) Actually women are so serious about it cause
they will seek more advise from an expect before buying a car rather than men
as it been stated “women are more likely
than men to ask tough questions and be more thorough during the car-buying
process” (Tuttle, 2012). I should be agree with this when I do realized that
women are so demanding when it come to spend money cause even for me I will
choose something that affordable but with the best quality.
Moreover, women been displayed as someone who could be
distracted easily with a lot of things such as about makeup and children. Some
people said that women are too busy about their make up even when driving and
could cause harm for themselves together with other driver around them and they
also are busy to take care of their children especially the little ones.
However, men also can be distracted easily because there is a research state
that, “According to Australian insurance provider AAMI, men are more likely
than women to have lost concentration while changing the car stereo (42% versus
38%), and more likely to use their cell phones without a hands-free accessory
(21% versus 16%).”(McRae, 2012). Both sexes can be distracted by many things
but as a driver they need to consider others in the road as well as to care
their own safety.
Furthermore, many people stated that women are so bad when
parking their cars. But there is a study said that women can park better than
men. “a report by Britain's NCP (a parking operator) surveyed and ranked 2,500
drivers on aspects of parking such as locating a spot, timing, and positioning
within a space and found that women out-performed men on most counts, even
though only one-fifth of women surveyed felt that they were better. The fact
that we drive more slowly let us find parking spots more quickly, while men wasted
time and gas driving past spots and circling around.”(McRae, 2012). I often
spend my free time to go to mall together with my girlfriends, and usually we
are struggle when finding parking but then we get the parking after a few times
circling around . From this experience, I realize that girls/women are more
patient in finding parking because they drive slowly so they able to find
parking faster because if I with boys/men, they are too rushing which in the same time we lose the empty parking lot and naturally waste more times.
In other ways, negative stereotype about women who driving
actually could distracted and effect their driving performers as it been
mentioned, “An Australian study found that women
who are told that men are better drivers are more than twice as likely to
collide with jaywalking pedestrians as other women in a similar test.”(Molloy,
2008)
But then, it is depend on the driver responsibility when
being in road because we actually cannot be simply being prejudice about women
who drive because as we all knew that women are much calm and careful in many
ways. According to Dr. Sivak “There are three dominant driver-related factors, including
the probability of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, one's own
driving skills and the driving skills of the other driver involved.”(Smith, 2011)
So
we should understand that after all, we should not be prejudice about women
driving but should be concern on how both sexes driving in the road. If men can
drive, women also can drive. Basically, a driver should be mentally and
physically ready where they should have skill, knowledge as well as ethic in road.
REFERENCES LISTS
Edgerton, J. (2011, October 11). Men vs women
: who is better driver?. Retrieved from
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/men-vs-women-who-are-safer-drivers/
Mark, M. (2014, November 11). Car buying by
women driven by different reasons than men.
Retrieved
from http://www.santanderconsumerusa.com/blog/car-buying-women-driven-
different-reasons-men/
McRae, S. (2012) Top 5 Stereotypes About
Women Drivers. Retrieved from
http://www.auto-venus.com/en/top-5-stereotypes-about-women-drivers/107/
Molloy, F. (2008) Stereotype stuffs up
women’s driving. Retrieved from
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/03/24/2197632.htm
Smith, G. (2011, July 7). Women drivers are dangerous
wheel.
Retrieved
from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/scencetech/article-2012188/Women-drivers-
ARE-dangerous-wheel-scientist-discover.html#ixzz3mROEEYwB
Tuttle, B. (2012, January 25). Survey: Women Are Smarter, More Thorough When
Buying Cars.
Retrieved from http://business.time.com/2012/01/25/survey-women-are-smarter-more-
thorough-when-buying-cars/
Winchester, L. (2015) Bad news guys-women ARE
‘better drivers than men’ in every
department.
Retrieved from
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/577366/women-better-drivers-men
