Women vs. Men .. Who is more into cars?
The Cars’Advertising Take Off
Since the very first steam-powered automobile was created way back in 1768, the car industry has been largely geared towards men. In fact, for many years, you only had to watch the average car advertisement on TV to see that a masculine, powerful edge seemed to win every time.
Women vs. Men
But women and cars have steadily been building a love affair of their very own over the past few decades. Growing independence, more equality and a more modern outlook on female empowerment has proved to car manufacturers that when it comes to women versus men, the automotive scales are not so unequal after all.
Women and cars in history
From the mid 1970 onward, women started to be encouraged by their families to go after high-powered careers of their own. No longer were they pushed into motherhood and marriage at an early age; instead they started heading off to university to gain their degrees and build a more independent life for themselves. It was at this point that more and more women started studying for their driver’s licence and picking up their very own first car.
Keeping women in mind
Fortunately, the more forward-thinking manufacturers are no longer thinking in terms of ‘men vs. women’; it’s more about the market in general and making sure that all needs are catered for. Working women, busy mums, young professionals: they all need to get behind the wheel to go about their daily activities.
Some studies have shown that, when buying a family car, women tend to guide the eventual buying decision more than men. An extensive study conducted by the RAC Foundation discovered that between the years of 1995 and 2010, the number of female drivers in the UK increased by 23%, compared to a 9% increase in male drivers (source: AutoExpress.co.uk).
All of this goes to show that women are no longer pictured as the passive passenger sitting quietly in the car, next to the man in her life. The modern woman is more than willing and able to take the wheel with confidence, and the recent rise in female-oriented car marketing campaigns seems to be reflecting that fact.
