Challenge
Considering only 2 out of 10 people who drive are women, we set out to explore and learn more about perceptions and tensions related to driving a vehicle and its relationship with gender roles. Understanding how these work is necessary to overcome barriers and enhance opportunities for everyone driving cars.
This study was the stepping stone of the campaign “Hablemos sin freno” (Let’s talk with no brakes on), which focused on visibilizing and supporting women who drive.
Strategy
By applying mixed techniques, the topic was addressed from different perspectives: first, with discussions with specialists in the automotive industry and experts in driving and transportation. Then, we organized focus groups with women who drive and are not currently driving. Once the main perceptions and issues related to driving were collected, we conducted more than 800 surveys at a national level with men and women above 18, which allowed us to understand the problems and possible answers within the population fully.
Results
We learned that roles in the driving world are naturalized to the point where they are no longer questioned, and this perception is ever-present in our way of thinking and doing; this is why it is a difficult barrier to overcome. So we asked ourselves: is there an appropriation of the driving role? We found that, especially in older women, the prevailing idea is that driving is not a natural place for them.
From the perspective of communication, brands have yet to get rid of stereotypes and start reflecting reality, to become their role models. For this, it is essential to support women in occupying a key symbolic space beyond mere technical or mechanical knowledge.
How? A potential option is to focus on enjoyment and freedom as personal benefits associated with driving, which will bring women closer to a new role as drivers and as relevant social actors.
The rights of the study “Women Drivers” (“Conductoras”) are the property of Chevrolet Argentina. Used with their authorization.
