Jorge Hinojosa
More than half of women in Spain say they have been the target of chauvinistic statements about being bad drivers.
A new survey reveals that 50.6% of Spanish women had experienced the sexist trope about women behind the wheel.
Meanwhile 18% of men admitted to believing that women are worse drivers than men.
The findings were published as part of a campaign by car maintenance firm Midas to bust the myths that women are worse drivers than men.
Elena Gocmen, 26, who has been driving for more than a year and has never had an accident said she had overheard snide comments. “One man said in my earshot that every time he sees bad driving it turns out to be a woman or an old person,” she said.
However the machismo attitude on the road is not a uniquely Spanish problem. In fact, Spain is positioned at number six in gender equality in Europe, according to the European Gender Equality Index in 2021.
However, the Marketing Director of Midas,
Jocelyne Bravo of Midas explained why such studies were necessary. “Studies like this help us to value this and raise our voices to continue evolving,” she said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telecinco.
“I think we are an example as a country for other cultures, but we still have to continue empowering women in areas like this.”
Midas has teamed up with the charity Ayuda en Acción to empower women on the roads by paying for driving lessons for women who can’t afford them.
READ MORE:
- Spain’s government prepares guidelines on ‘how not to be sexist’ in the workplace
- New driving rules you need to know about that come into force in Spain on March 21
