Fiona's Blog: When Women Are in the Driver's Seat

In our modern age of SUV soccer moms and female NASCAR drivers, we sometimes forget that the ability to drive was—and still is—an essential step toward mobility, individuality, and freedom for women around the world.Signing up for driver’s ed was relatively easy. I went with a couple of friends to a nearby high school where classes were being offered, showed my school ID, and gave my contact information. In a few short months, I will (hopefully) be a licensed driver.Since I’ve grown up in New York City, the idea that driving will signify a major change in my life is pretty foreign to me. Furthermore, the concept that driving once empowered ambitious, independence-seeking women to free themselves from the rigid constructs imposed on them by a gender-biased society is one I often don’t consider at all.Who can blame me, right?

From Elle Woods in her pink convertible to any suburban mother in a granola bar commercial, we’re continually shown images of women driving. So we sometimes forget that driving has long been an outlet for independence both in our country and abroad.

In 1909, Alice Ramsey became the first woman to drive across the entire country. That was eleven years before American women had the right to vote. In a time when certain attitudes were changing, but laws weren’t, driving was an opportunity for women to exercise their independence. Those of you who watch Downton Abbey need look no further than the driving-obsessed sister, Edith Crawley. In 1918 England, Edith is so excited to learn to drive that she takes a job driving a tractor on a local farmer, despite the fact that she is of noble birth and certainly does not need the money. The appeal of the independence of driving is just too thrilling for Edith to pass up. (A side-note, but very important one: for those of you who do not watch Downton Abbey, please start watching immediately…I am mildly obsessed).

For some women, the struggle for the right to drive has not yet been overcome. The most commonly talked about example is probably Saudi Arabia, where women legally still do not have the right to drive cars.

This is especially interesting considering that women got the right to vote (in name, at least) several months ago in Saudi Arabia. In Afghanistan, while the number of driving permits for women has increased dramatically since the fall of the Taliban, many women are still discouraged from driving. Similar travel restrictions were in place in Jordan until 2003, and in the Congo, driving, especially as a profession, is generally left to men.Although women in our country gained the right to drive a very long time ago, and exercise this right frequently, there are still some stereotypes that surround women drivers. In fact, when I googled “women driving” in an attempt to further research this blog, the first thing that came up was not Alice Ramsey’s trip across the country, but many nasty websites ranting about what bad drivers women are. Specifically, I came across this lovely article from Askmen.com, which suggests you cite these reasons why women can’t drive the next time you and your girlfriend get into an argument. Great advice, Askmen.com!The stereotype that women can’t drive extends further than men’s magazines, however. And although I mentioned earlier that our country has some female NASCAR racers, after interviewing Julia Landauer, nineteen-year-old NASCAR racer, I learned that the field of female NASCAR racers is quite small and as a result, tends to stick together.What does the ability to drive truly mean? I understand that it often means access to a new social life for teenagers, but truly, what does the right to drive signify? I think driving means independence, freedom, and responsibility. It means that your society trusts you to be careful of the lives of others and to be cautious with your own freedom. To be completely honest, my mother actually never learned to drive—and through her, I’ve certainly witnessed what a limit this can put on a person’s freedom. So, I guess as I start my driver’s ed classes, I’ll have a whole new appreciation for exactly what it means to be behind a wheel.Fiona Lowenstein is a high school senior, weekly guest blogger and Girls Leadership Institute alumna. Read more of her work here.