There is no doubt that a wide gender gap persists at many levels and social activities. And it is also true that, more and more, men and women understand the differences and seek to overcome them. However, there are still areas in which inequality is very surprising: a brand new study that inquired about “mobility with a gender perspective” found that only 28% of all driver’s licenses issued on a daily basis in the country correspond to women. And, even now, in the middle of 2023, of every 100 women consulted, 75 do not have the essential license to drive a vehicle.
These and other striking data arise from a recent survey commissioned by the insurance company La Caja, and which analyzed data, habits and customs of the current road scene.
“We conducted a survey of 400 people, 50% women and 50% men, between the ages of 18 and 60, geographically distributed in the AMBA, Mendoza, Córdoba, Tucumán and Río Negro areas,” Carla Ponce, CSR manager, told PERFIL. in said company. And she explained: “We sought to understand the role of gender in driving on public roads and the stereotypes that are perceived in men and women.” And the results surprised them by how conclusive: “We found that only three out of ten new licenses issued were for women. In addition, if we analyze professional licenses –those that qualify to drive heavy equipment, trucks or public transport buses–, the statistics are much worse: barely three out of every thousand licenses were for girls”.
On the other hand, the “average” age at which women start driving is higher than that of men. In fact, more than half of men get their license around the age of 18.
“Women tend to increase their use of vehicles – and therefore, get their license – when they are exercising the maternal role. In other words, between the ages of 25 and 45, and especially at the highest economic levels,” Leda Pereyra, a sociologist specializing in mobility and transportation issues and who acted as curator of this La Caja study, explained to PROFILE. And she added: “Different studies show that women are basically users of public transport and they also walk. This local trend is similar to what happens in other countries in the region and even in the first world”.
Another striking data that Pereyra maintains arises from the National Household Mobility Survey that observed car trips and that “it found that in 62% of cases it is a woman who is accompanying a driver.”
On the other hand, according to the expert, “if there is only one vehicle in the home, the usual user is the man, since this resource, despite being common, is usually assigned to the man, while the woman uses public transport , in which it is the main user”.
The data on inequality in this area is accumulating: according to the study by La Caja, today only four out of ten women drive, while in the case of men that figure is reversed: eight out of ten drive.
Another striking figure that shows gender imbalance is expressed in the use of motorcycles: in this type of vehicle the presence of women falls sharply: in the AMBA geography, girls who travel by motorcycle or moped represent only 14%. The situation improves somewhat in Córdoba, where they represent up to 30% of the trips. In other words, it is the man who continues to be the main user of two-wheeled vehicles.
Fear. Something striking about the survey is that when women who say they want to learn how to drive are asked what their main limitation is, the main answer is “fear”, mentioned in 91% of the responses. This is leveraged by the fact that 65% of those surveyed acknowledge that they “experience greater situations of road violence than men.” And that they feel less “confidence/security” than men when traveling in public spaces, especially “driving a car or motorcycle” and “walking down the street.”
Another myth demolished by the survey shows that, luckily, the derogatory cry of “go wash the dishes” is being shelved: 70% of those consulted agreed that women drive just as well, or badly, as men .
According to the Mujeres al Volante association, a community of women focused on mobility whose objective is to get more women behind the wheel, affirms that among the different causes that can justify these differences in gender and driving influence the histories and the family mandate.
According to its director, Luly Dietrich, “in most families only the men drive, and the teaching to learn how to do it is usually directed at the sons, not at the women. In addition, a significant percentage stated that they were afraid to get their license. These fears have various origins: own insecurities, accidents experienced by girls or fear of causing an accident.
The fact that the perception of risk is usually higher in women than in men also plays a role. In short, there are many possible actions to take that could help reverse this gap. It’s a matter of putting first gear and pressing the accelerator.
How to modify the gap?
According to sociologist Leda Pereyra, an expert in mobility and gender, there are several active gender political actions that can help close this gap: “From improving the road infrastructure to giving them more options and quotas that facilitate their access to jobs related to the mobility, making it possible –for example– for there to be more female drivers with professional licenses who can then work in public transport”. They also facilitate driver training and obtaining professional licenses. On the other hand, the State can generate specific incentives and coordinate with companies so that they consider incorporating more women in positions and roles of driving vehicles and transport. “That also helps bring about change in the long run, as it shows guys that there can be women in traditionally masculine roles.” In this sense, from La Caja they add that this year they plan to carry out face-to-face “safe driving” clinics aimed at women.
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