The Origin of the Stereotype that Women are Bad Drivers

The bizarre one-eyed clipart I found searching for "woman driver" on Microsoft Office.

Check out this article from The Smithsonian Magazine's online site. They are undertaking an impressive analysis of every Jetson's episode, examining different cultural practices, standards, and attitudes that are revealed. In this article, they take on the issue of women as bad drivers. Utilizing Michael L. Berger's article “Women Drivers!: The Emergence of Folklore and Stereotypic Opinions Concerning Feminine Automotive Behavior”, the author argues that this stereotype doesn't appear until the 1920s, when middle class women suddenly began having access to cars. These jokes and stereotypes were social controls trying to ensure women stayed in their places and did not use this new found mobility to subvert social norms. Previously, women were either walking to places, which made them visible to the community, or had to hire drivers. With a car they were able to go where they wanted when they wanted and often without the rest of the community keeping tabs. Without being chaperoned as they left the domestic sphere for the public, they threatened concepts of a woman's proper place and left open the door to gossip about their actions. Jokes and stereotypes are powerful ways to reinforce hegemony.