Salut!
Growing up as a girl in a city like Mumbai hardly meant anything tough. We girls have more or less lived without brutal gender discrimination all our lives; but every once a while comes up the universal, probably eternal, battle of estrogen vs testosterone. One such battle I've been constantly subjected to each day of my life for the past 2 years is that of driving.
I, like many others in urban cities, have been blessed by the small, affordable yet efficient cars market. If you're a Mumbaikar, take a journey through the past couple years in your head and you will realize just how many small cars there really are now on the streets. Tata Nano, Hyundai i10, Maruti A-star, Chevrolet Beat, Chevrolet Spark are some of the most commonly seen cars on the streets now.
So who all are driving these affordable, efficient cars?
Growing up as a girl in a city like Mumbai hardly meant anything tough. We girls have more or less lived without brutal gender discrimination all our lives; but every once a while comes up the universal, probably eternal, battle of estrogen vs testosterone. One such battle I've been constantly subjected to each day of my life for the past 2 years is that of driving.
I, like many others in urban cities, have been blessed by the small, affordable yet efficient cars market. If you're a Mumbaikar, take a journey through the past couple years in your head and you will realize just how many small cars there really are now on the streets. Tata Nano, Hyundai i10, Maruti A-star, Chevrolet Beat, Chevrolet Spark are some of the most commonly seen cars on the streets now.
So who all are driving these affordable, efficient cars?
The entire middle class. Youngsters. Women. The aspiration-ists.
These cars have not only given the aspiration-ists the ability to drive but also a certain amount of freedom and liberty. I can offer my own example here. I am a conservationist, so I still take or occasionally usurp (sorry, mummy!) permission by my parents to go anywhere. However, ever since I have started driving, my deadlines and permissions have increased. Why? Because I can drive. I can go anywhere in the city and can come back in a way safer than in pre-booked cabs.
These cars have not only given the aspiration-ists the ability to drive but also a certain amount of freedom and liberty. I can offer my own example here. I am a conservationist, so I still take or occasionally usurp (sorry, mummy!) permission by my parents to go anywhere. However, ever since I have started driving, my deadlines and permissions have increased. Why? Because I can drive. I can go anywhere in the city and can come back in a way safer than in pre-booked cabs.
I am just one example. Personally, I know and have observed so very many female drivers driving all over the city confidently. Truth be told, it gives me a sense of pride and power. A woman can choose where she wants to go and when. (Though the issue of 'when' hardly matters now that the nightlife of this city is dampened by the latest hockey stick loving, moral cop).
This rise that I am talking about in the number of small cars, is both obvious and now evident; but even more evident now is the increasing girl power in terms of driving. Companies such as Mahindra and Nissan are actually conducting surveys to make cars and advertisements suited to the female audience. Furthermore, even the Indian District Transport office says there's a 40% rise in the number of licences issued to women and the number of cars registered to women has doubled. Godspeed, ladies.
This rise that I am talking about in the number of small cars, is both obvious and now evident; but even more evident now is the increasing girl power in terms of driving. Companies such as Mahindra and Nissan are actually conducting surveys to make cars and advertisements suited to the female audience. Furthermore, even the Indian District Transport office says there's a 40% rise in the number of licences issued to women and the number of cars registered to women has doubled. Godspeed, ladies.
Another positive trend that has resulted out of the society is that of hiring female drivers professionally. We now have so many cab services that hire women as drivers. The reasons may include facts like it's an emerging market and there's a lack in male labour, or even the fact that women are now accessible to job opportunities and roles that predominantly belonged to men.
With more small cars being manufactured in India as we speak, by almost every major car company, I can only see a lot more free, confident drivers out there; female and otherwise. I would really like to discuss the cons of that too (there are many), not to forget the brutal discrimination and looks given to female drivers; but for now, let's just drive down this happy road.
Say what you may, but female drivers are here to stay.
Au revoir,
Miss Bee.
I tweet on: https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/
P.S.- Don't forget to check my guest post on http://www.desimba.in/guest-post/from-paint-brushes-to-management-education-how-she-made-it-to-kj-somaiya-2012-2014/
Miss Bee.
I tweet on: https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/
P.S.- Don't forget to check my guest post on http://www.desimba.in/guest-post/from-paint-brushes-to-management-education-how-she-made-it-to-kj-somaiya-2012-2014/
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