Friday 20 July 2012

"Women can’t park

or reverse that well."

Some days, I feel like a walking stereotype.

Today was no exception.
I drove into a long and very narrow lane way this morning to drop something off at the back door of an inner city business.  As I entered the driveway I noticed a young guy cleaning the windows of a nearby shop.
Ten minutes later I got back in my car and started to reverse down the lane way (as it is the only way to get back out onto the road). As I was checking the rear vision mirror, I saw the window washer, complete with his long purple rubber gloves, standing in the middle of the driveway, directing me.


It wasn’t just a hand motion here or there. Rather, he was making some seriously crazy hand actions like those white gloved traffic officers do in Barbados.
It was so bizarre I could not stop giggling.  Those purple rubber gloves.

As I got to the footpath, I wound down the window and said, “Thanks but it really wasn’t necessary as I have done this lots of times before.”

Looking very chuffed with himself, he walked over to the car and said, “Oh that’s ok, it’s just that it's really narrow and I know women can’t reverse or park that well so I thought you would need some help.”
I eyed the nearby bucket of water for a little longer than necessary before I thought better of it and drove off. He meant well surely. Besides, there was no point validating yet another stereotype for him  - menopausal women are crazy @%#@! cows.

Women find it hard to park and reverse?  He was so certain. Like all women?

I thought we had evolved a little further than this. Apparently not. I told this story to a few male colleagues and they all sided with the window washer. Well, after a bit of arm twisting to get them to tell me what they really thought, that is. According to them, there is allegedly one thing women and blind men have in common, their ability to navigate.  One guy told me that if you "tell a woman to turn north, then east and then north again she’d get turned around faster that a frog in a blender."

So many jokes. Whoa, I am glad the men I know usually prefer to take silent pride in their apparent superiority (or maybe that's just because they know that the scorned woman stereotype really exists as well).

I then checked Mr Google, who also clearly loves this stereotype because it threw up an impressive 123,000,000 results when I keyed in “women can’t park”.
There are so many entries about men having better spatial abilities than females and scientific studies proving X, Y and Z and hilarious videos showing women parking or should I say trying to park.  I couldn’t be bothered with any of them until I noticed a recent news story from Germany.

A very game Mayor of a German town has sparked some controversy by introducing "easy" parking spots for women.

Apparently the Mayor introduced the spots because men were better at parking than women.

The women's spaces, which are marked by female symbols, are reportedly better lit and wider, while the men only spots have concrete pillars to negotiate and can only be reversed into. The Mayor said that women were welcome to attempt parking in the men only spots, but that "men are better as a rule at such challenges".




What do you think - how's your parking?

As long as I make it between the lines I am happy.




20 comments:

  1. We have heard this since we were kids. I don't know if there is any scientific reason. There are women fighter pilots and that takes spatial skill. Parking and reverse driving takes practice. I was much better at it years ago. My younger sister could back up a trailer hooked to car better than me now. Directions I believe are different and might be a genetic thing. My wife gets lost going to the next town and so does her brother. I know women in my family that are very good with directions. Of course men will need admit to being lost but that's a different issue.

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    1. I love your comment Bill and think you hit it on the head. My spatial skills score highly on IQ tests (although my logic skills score very low, lol) but I would not say I could park a trailer. I think some of us are better at some stuff and others are better at other stuff and that's it. I cannot navigate and nor can my siblings. My father was hopeless at it but my mother is brilliant at it. I think its all in the lap of the Gods rather than just based on genetics.

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  2. Liily, come to Mumbai to see some gender neutral and creative blatant parking ....

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    1. Hi Ugich, Creative blatant parking... what a great phrase. It must be like Thailand or actually Italy for that matter. They park anywhere, including in the middle of the zebra crossing! Have you done a post about the Mumbai parking? I would love to go and have a look. Always something getting in the way....

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  3. LOL.

    Many years ago I read that women can't read maps. Some UK university research (must be true then).

    Wasn't that new fangled innovation in Ford's Titanium specially put in for women ;)

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    1. Yes YW, all university research is true. I know I cannot read a map, nor can my daughter for that matter. I know that specifically because we went on a girls road trip once and got horribly lost. And no we did not have one of those new fangled innovations with us at the time. Just don't ask me about a compass....I have nightmares about girl guides...

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  4. I had to reverse park during my driving test...all 3 times...and I did it perfectly each time. I can park, reverse park, and reverse pretty well if I may say so myself...provided, there is no one stressing me out by waiting right at my tail!

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    1. Yes I reckon women may take more time parking but thats about the only difference there is. Good on you as clealry we need more accomplished women parkers. Did you go to a driving school as I think they teach you the correct way - there is a bit of science to it. Make sure you keep doing those parallel parks (which I avoid) because when you lose practice it aint pretty, lol!

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    2. Yes I did learn through a driving instructor and he taught me to reverse park well! As for parallel park...I must admit it's not my favourite. However, I have to parallel park every time I visit my GP or have to go to the Council chambers for anything. So it occurs a few times a year...

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  5. As one who chooses to sit in the passenger seat of life, I can't comment - other than to say sexism appears to be alive and well...

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    1. I never drove once when I lived in your neck of the woods Mike. I was in the passenger seat whether I liked it or not.

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  6. I do not remember ever having any trouble backing up and or parking-in-reverse. One wonders how these things get started---it's like any prejudice, isn't it. And it certainly does seem like a rather incredible prejudice....! OY VEY!!! (lol)

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    1. Hello Naomi, I bet you never had any trouble because as such a creative force you would have excellent spatial skills anyway. Yes it's funny how these things start really but most of the time it's all said in jest. I never grew up with that kind of thinking but let's say it's pervasive across the world it seems.

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  7. this is shocking, it's true I'm not the best driver, but I do know a lot of very good female drivers. And there are a lot of bad male drivers.

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  8. When I had my small little Chevy Malibu, I could park in the tiniest of places. I knew my car within a hairs width from another car. But.. now.. I drive a tank. My husband's vehicle, the Ford Edge. I park way, way, way at the back of a parking lot, not next to another vehicle. I'm not comfortable with the size of the vehicle. But eventually I'll get there.

    I'm not a bad driver, but I am a cautious one :)

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    1. I think that is exactly what it is. Women are slower, more cautious drivers perhaps but does not make them worse drivers.

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  9. How awful ! Long PURPLE rubber gloves. Poor fellow !

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  10. Oh wise woman of OZ, please browse by and provide insight to my discussion of wisdom vs. knowledge.
    thanks
    your beggar friend

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  11. To be perfectly, sadly honest, I'm just a terrible driver period. I would need a double parking space for me to park. Sigh... Sorry.

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  12. I just read your post to Art and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Actually, he looks for the biggest spot to park in even if I have to walk half a block.

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Thanks for your comments.