The Woman and the Car. A Study of the Car, the Woman and Modernity

Authors

  • Lotta Wessberg, MA, Assistant archivist Åbo Akademi University

Keywords:

car, woman, modernity, gender

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyse women as drivers. The car is, I believe, a vehicle that is associated mostly with men and masculinity. Various car-events attract mostly men, something I myself realised when visiting different fairs and rallies.

I want to illustrate the relationship between women and the car in different ways. One of the most important questions is the view of women as drivers. This topic is quite prominent in my material, a questionnaire from 1997. I have used just a part of the questionnaire and asked the following questions: Who were the earliest female drivers? What do men think about female drivers? Have men's attitudes towards woman drivers changed? What do women think about female drivers? Why have the female informants themselves got their driving licences or why have they not? Do they regret not getting a driving license? Who takes care of the car? Who takes the decision when buying a car?

Section
Research Articles

Published

2001-12-31

How to Cite

Wessberg, L. (2001). The Woman and the Car. A Study of the Car, the Woman and Modernity. Ethnologia Fennica, 29, 33–44. Retrieved from https://journal.fi/ethnolfenn/article/view/66328