Women’s Influence in Automobile History
Car culture has been male dominated throughout the 20th century as it was characterized by symbols such as speed, power and performance. Objects with exclusively male values, cars were initially driven by men as they were also difficult to manage. Yet, women have greatly contributed to the development of the modern automobile and they have influenced car choice since its early ages.
During the first half of the 20th century, right after the Ford T model was launched on the market (October 1st, 1908), the car gradually became a popular purchase within a household. Considered the most influential car of the automobile history, Ford T left its print on female and male domains equally. If it influenced the structure of residential areas and broke the geographic limitations of the labor market, it also changed the way families were organized and the lifestyle of medium social layer.
By 1910, the electric car was invented so women could already travel without getting dirty and the car became a clean mode of transport. Thus, if men used it to reach distant work venues and were no longer limited to finding a job in their home’s proximity, women started to drive cars in order to take the children to school and for the grocery shopping. The residential suburbs were a mere consequence of cars’ democratization and so was the disappearance of the one room school in rural areas. Subsequently, the involvement of women in the act of car purchasing was decisive.
A utilitarian object at its beginnings, the car started to embody the ideas of beauty, comfort, and social prestige. Women preferred aesthetics and comfort over mechanical performance, thus pushing manufacturers to satisfy their needs for beauty and ease. They seemed to judge better the more feminine values and were more interested in questions of color and style. Thus, starting with the year 1950, Ford hired women in order to help the company know their tastes and expectations better. At first, they only dealt with inside decorations, colors and accessories, but this proved a general user oriented approach that took into account the customer’s needs.
If muscle cars were the symbol of the 40s and of the 50s in America, the European market is dominated after the Second World War by the ideas of functionality and simplicity. The second influential car model, Austin Mini goes hand in hand with women penetration into the automobile history. It will become a true icon of the 60s as it is, at this time, a cult object associated with the idea of youth and fun. This model is designed and formulated from the inside to the outside for greater livability. The influence does not derive from fashion or from signs of ostentatious luxury, but from its timeless design with no fuss and built with a keen focus on functionality. They are easy to drive and they come in all sorts of colors, unlike Ford T which was issued mainly in black for economic reasons. However, they became, during the 60s, a true fashion item, featuring in movies and driven by celebrities.
