If I want to go to my friends’ house, I drive. If I want to try out a new restaurant, I drive. If I want to go shopping, I drive.
But, as a female driver, I feel I am judged because apparently, in our society women are considered to be bad drivers.
Just the other day, I had found a tight parking space that needed me to reverse park.
But, even before I could put the gear on reverse the parking guy said “madam aap mujhe de dijiye, aap nahi kar payenge” (Ma’am let me reverse, you won’t be able to do it).
The next day, while waiting at the traffic signal, a bike halted next to my car and, before driving off, the two riders unanimously shouted ‘ladkiyon ko gaadi nahi, ghar chalana chahiye’.
This mindset also has a lot to do with the fact that women are seen as bad drivers. And, these tweets are proof.
But, what people conveniently seem to forget is that driving is a skill set that is learnt and no matter how good or bad you are at it, it has nothing to with your gender. As simple as that.
There are men who drive rashly and indulge in road rage but no one has ever said ‘All men are rash drivers’, right? Then, why are women drivers generalised?
I don’t need to prove my driving skills to anyone except the person who is responsible for approving my license.
And, with regards to the whole ‘women can’t drive’ thing, I just want to say that a study conducted in 2018 revealed that women are better drivers than men.
And, while there are some who still love stereotyping all women as bad drivers, there are a few who strongly disagree with them.
If I know how to drive, I bloody hell will drive, irrespective of whether I am a female or a male. Okay?