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| Women in Driver's Seat: A symbol of freedom | | | Dr Pragya Khanna | 1/7/2012 10:17:01 PM |
| In the early and mid 1980s, it was quite a sight to see a woman drive a car in India while a two-wheeler was a distant dream. It was considered entirely a man's domain, and women mostly used public transport, were pillion riders or were led by chauffeur driven cars. Furthermore, the cars available in the country in those days were often large, bulky and difficult to drive. Therefore, women in general stayed away from driving cars.
However, the picture has changed today. On one hand Indian women have moved beyond the four walls of their houses and have observed a noteworthy evolution from a down-to-earth homemaker to an independent, tech savvy, decision maker. While on the other hand a number of companies have brought in the cars and two-wheelers that are easy to drive and park in the Indian sub-continent. Today the latest cars and the technology adaptations like power steering make driving very easy and enjoyable.
Today the Indian women have the ability and the courage to drive and even own cars. It is a well acknowledged fact that while more and more women have stepped out of their houses to become bread-earners for their families there are still a large number of females who are though non-working but have become independent enough to shoulder responsibilities like running weekday errands, taking children to school, visiting doctors, paying bills, going to banks etc. All this has become possible as they are able to drive their personal vehicle be it a four or a two wheeler.
Anjana, a 37 year old home-maker says, "Since I learnt to drive I have become completely independent, earlier I had to wait hours together for my husband to return from his work place and to take me to anywhere. Now it gives me a lofty feeling when I am asked by anyone in the family for a lift."
45 year old Neerja, a bank professional said, "When ever I would see a lady driving a car I would wonder when I would be independent. I am glad that now I am a source of inspiration for many other ladies in the town."
Although women are pushing themselves hard enough to fit themselves behind the wheel, but the question is whether they are being encouraged adequately by the men in their lives and the other family members. According to Nisha, a 35 year old doctor, "The truth is there are few men who like to see a woman behind the steering wheel, especially if it happens to be his car." Moksha says, "Most of my male friends seem to suffer from some strange complex while getting into a car which I'm driving."
Ragini Sharma, a lecturer in a local college has faced the same attitude. "Boys will always make you feel that you can't drive well," says Ragini, who has recently upgraded from a Maruti 800 to a Zen Estilo. The nasty remarks can range from, "I hope I reach home in one piece!" to "Oh no, I don't have life insurance!"
But all this is not preventing the women from the sheer pleasure of gaining freedom, who are steering their way into a driving school as early as possible, often with the full support of their parents. Mahima was persuaded to take to the road as soon as she turned 18. "Both my father and brother pushed me into a driving school and later helped me gain confidence," she recalls. She had a role model in her mother Anita, who would also drive.
Families are usually a source of resistance too. It wasn't an easy call for Richa, a 28 year old physiotherapist when she resolved to get her own car and start driving. "I faced a negative reaction from my parents when I told them about it. They would keep calling me to find out if I was okay. But it wasn't the same for my brother when he started driving," regrets Richa.
Encouragement or discouragement, obstacles or liberation, women in today's society is heading towards her goal to achieve complete emancipation. Even the automobile companies have realized this and are trying every effort to attract their female customers who range from college girls to working women to house wives. Technology has promoted this revolution on the road. Automatic scooters with higher fuel efficiency have helped. All scooters manufactured now are gearless, adding to the ease of riding. A big advantage for women.
More and more cars are being launched everyday keeping women into focus, that is companies are putting efforts on the interiors, comfort, and safety besides using colours like purples, pinks, oranges, yellows, blues, greens, and metallic tones to attract the fair sex. Whereas, men usually stress on performance, torque, modern technical and entertainment features (like Bluetooth, LCD screen, GPS, and other telematics) women prefer cars which look stylish, have low running costs and are easy to drive.
Moreover, car companies have been alluring young professional women through direct advertisements casting celebrities like Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerjee, Sania Mirza and Priyanka Chopra to name a few along side their innovative EMI schemes to gain females attentions.
Also a number of training schools have come up in this decade with organized players like Maruti in order to impart driving skills with world class training modules. According to Mr. Singh who works for one such school the training modules are as per international standards and include both theory and practical. Tricky driving situations such as fog, uphill terrain, rain and night driving is simulated on state-of-the-art simulators to give learners a first hand experience of the weather conditions. Only after class room and simulator training the learners are taken for actual driving on road. In whole of this process while the individual woman gains from learning driving, in many cases this skill leads to flexibility for the whole family.
There is no doubt that mobility is a major factor that has contributed to the success of women in India. Nevertheless the important thing to remember for all men and women is to DRIVE SAFE AND BE SAFE! |
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