Women car lovers still face prejudice
07-04-09, 05:48 PM
#1
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Women car lovers still face prejudice
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20...face+prejudice
Men still have trouble getting used to Stacy Tucker, a former suspension engineer at General Motors who owns a custom hot rod car shop in North Carolina with her husband, Kyle.
She beat most of the male variety in the autocross competition Saturday at LP Field, where she raced around a 1,000-foot tightly curved track in her 1969 blue Camaro as part of the Goodguys fourth annual Nashville Nationals Car Show. Her time: 45 seconds on a 55-second track.
In an age when most industries saw the gender barrier breached years ago, women who fix cars and race them still find themselves a bit of an oddity.
"It's still an old boys' club,'' said the 38-year-old Tucker.
This weekend, as she cruised up to the race gate with her souped-up engine making its deep huffing sounds, several people peered in at her and said: "There's a girl in there."
Sometimes, when she answers the phone at her business, Detroit Speed and Engineering in Mooresville, N.C., people will insist on speaking to someone who can answer a technical question, assuming that she can't.
But Tucker gave up arguing with them and usually just hands the phone to a man.
"For the sake of the business, I've learned to turn the phone over,'' she said. "I guess they're embarrassed to talk to a girl."
Women have won racing events for decades, but they still draw attention in ways that men don't. Take top drag car racer 26-year-old Ashley Force Hood, who in 2008 became the first woman to win the NHRA Funny Car races.
"She's very beautiful and she's very good,'' said Wendell Marlowe, a 53-year-old from Mt. Juliet who went to the show at LP Field on Saturday and watched the autocross competition. "Women have proven they can be competitive."
Two other men watching the event mused about why men seem to love cars more than women do.
"Women grew up with dolls,'' said Rod Socha, a 61-year-old from Eddyville, Ky. "It's not part of their mentality."
Greg C. Lewis of Waverly, Tenn., sees it differently.
He said men used to take their girlfriends to car shows to show them off as "eye candy."
"They would hold up the flags,'' Lewis said. "The girls said, 'We're tired of being your eye candy.' They're starting to go out and buy their own cars. They've built their own cars and they do their own maintenance."
His friend Brenda Griggs, who raced at the autocross competition Saturday, owns a 1967 Pontiac Firebird, a shiny black car with leather seats.
She got so tired of men assuming she was driving her husband's car that she bought a personalized plate for the front bumper that says: "Her Bird."
When asked, her husband says he owns the "rat rod," a truck he put together from parts from a Ford, a Chevy and a Pontiac.
While his wife has turned down offers of $25,000 for her Firebird, her husband, Greg, says he put about $2,500 into his truck.
Another woman who never ceases to surprise the opposite sex is Carmen Levise, a 21-year-old who says she was one of just a handful of female students at Nashville Auto-Diesel College. She graduated in 2007 and dreams opening an auto shop.
She said a lot of women are not mechanics because "their husbands or boyfriends said no, absolutely not."
Levise recently married an auto mechanic and they own seven classic cars and a truck. She said she didn't have a dad or brother who dragged her to auto shows or races as a child.
Instead, she decided automobiles interested her more than art, her other passion.
"You have to have a tough shell,'' said Levise, who works in paint sales for NAPA Auto Parts.
"Guys stare at you all the time. They hit on you all the time. They either love you or they hate you."
Men still have trouble getting used to Stacy Tucker, a former suspension engineer at General Motors who owns a custom hot rod car shop in North Carolina with her husband, Kyle.
She beat most of the male variety in the autocross competition Saturday at LP Field, where she raced around a 1,000-foot tightly curved track in her 1969 blue Camaro as part of the Goodguys fourth annual Nashville Nationals Car Show. Her time: 45 seconds on a 55-second track.
In an age when most industries saw the gender barrier breached years ago, women who fix cars and race them still find themselves a bit of an oddity.
"It's still an old boys' club,'' said the 38-year-old Tucker.
This weekend, as she cruised up to the race gate with her souped-up engine making its deep huffing sounds, several people peered in at her and said: "There's a girl in there."
Sometimes, when she answers the phone at her business, Detroit Speed and Engineering in Mooresville, N.C., people will insist on speaking to someone who can answer a technical question, assuming that she can't.
But Tucker gave up arguing with them and usually just hands the phone to a man.
"For the sake of the business, I've learned to turn the phone over,'' she said. "I guess they're embarrassed to talk to a girl."
Women have won racing events for decades, but they still draw attention in ways that men don't. Take top drag car racer 26-year-old Ashley Force Hood, who in 2008 became the first woman to win the NHRA Funny Car races.
"She's very beautiful and she's very good,'' said Wendell Marlowe, a 53-year-old from Mt. Juliet who went to the show at LP Field on Saturday and watched the autocross competition. "Women have proven they can be competitive."
Two other men watching the event mused about why men seem to love cars more than women do.
"Women grew up with dolls,'' said Rod Socha, a 61-year-old from Eddyville, Ky. "It's not part of their mentality."
Greg C. Lewis of Waverly, Tenn., sees it differently.
He said men used to take their girlfriends to car shows to show them off as "eye candy."
"They would hold up the flags,'' Lewis said. "The girls said, 'We're tired of being your eye candy.' They're starting to go out and buy their own cars. They've built their own cars and they do their own maintenance."
His friend Brenda Griggs, who raced at the autocross competition Saturday, owns a 1967 Pontiac Firebird, a shiny black car with leather seats.
She got so tired of men assuming she was driving her husband's car that she bought a personalized plate for the front bumper that says: "Her Bird."
When asked, her husband says he owns the "rat rod," a truck he put together from parts from a Ford, a Chevy and a Pontiac.
While his wife has turned down offers of $25,000 for her Firebird, her husband, Greg, says he put about $2,500 into his truck.
Another woman who never ceases to surprise the opposite sex is Carmen Levise, a 21-year-old who says she was one of just a handful of female students at Nashville Auto-Diesel College. She graduated in 2007 and dreams opening an auto shop.
She said a lot of women are not mechanics because "their husbands or boyfriends said no, absolutely not."
Levise recently married an auto mechanic and they own seven classic cars and a truck. She said she didn't have a dad or brother who dragged her to auto shows or races as a child.
Instead, she decided automobiles interested her more than art, her other passion.
"You have to have a tough shell,'' said Levise, who works in paint sales for NAPA Auto Parts.
"Guys stare at you all the time. They hit on you all the time. They either love you or they hate you."
07-04-09, 08:11 PM
#2
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This article, however, overlooks the fact that, whether male or female, one does not have to love racing, speed, or being a mechanic/technician to simply love CARS. One thing, though, is true.....a lot of the men who work as auto technicians and in dealer service departments DO involve themself in racing, often on local tracks and drag strips.
Most females, though, at least in my experience (though there are exceptions, like AsianGirl007 or the former Talgrl626 here on CL), really don't talk much about cars or show much interest in them unless they were sales reps. Even then, many of them (and this is true for some male sales reps as well) look on it more as a job and income than a real love of cars.
Women, for example, usually don't talk a lot about cars with me unless they have a car problem, car question, or decide they are ready to shop for a new or used one and come to me for help and advice. Males, in my experience, are far more likely to discuss cars like we do here on CAR CHAT.....as an everyday passion.
This is not necessarily a sign of "'prejudice", "stereotypes", or "image"...it just seems to reflect some of the natural differences between men and women.
But one thing, though, that IS a bunch of nonsense (and I've said it before) is the idea that certain types and models of vehicles are "girlie", "chick", or "soccer-mom" cars, like some VWs, small convertibles, "cute-ute" small SUVs, the Mini Cooper, and minivans. This, of course, is often quoted, but is fact nonsense, as there is not only no reason why males cannot drive them, but overlooks the fact that many males DO. And, likewise, high-powered muscle and sport cars are often considered "guy" or "macho" machines, but that is again nonsense........more women drive them than many men think.
Most females, though, at least in my experience (though there are exceptions, like AsianGirl007 or the former Talgrl626 here on CL), really don't talk much about cars or show much interest in them unless they were sales reps. Even then, many of them (and this is true for some male sales reps as well) look on it more as a job and income than a real love of cars.
Women, for example, usually don't talk a lot about cars with me unless they have a car problem, car question, or decide they are ready to shop for a new or used one and come to me for help and advice. Males, in my experience, are far more likely to discuss cars like we do here on CAR CHAT.....as an everyday passion.
This is not necessarily a sign of "'prejudice", "stereotypes", or "image"...it just seems to reflect some of the natural differences between men and women.
But one thing, though, that IS a bunch of nonsense (and I've said it before) is the idea that certain types and models of vehicles are "girlie", "chick", or "soccer-mom" cars, like some VWs, small convertibles, "cute-ute" small SUVs, the Mini Cooper, and minivans. This, of course, is often quoted, but is fact nonsense, as there is not only no reason why males cannot drive them, but overlooks the fact that many males DO. And, likewise, high-powered muscle and sport cars are often considered "guy" or "macho" machines, but that is again nonsense........more women drive them than many men think.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-04-09 at 08:15 PM.
07-04-09, 10:23 PM
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The one that made me the most angry was when I was told I should drive an SMG because girls can't drive a stick shift. On the Lexus I've been told "you'll never notice anyhow, but your boyfriend might so maybe I should talk to him" *anger @ that one*. The Rover wasn't as bad but I did have to talk to the guy for a time about car things in general before I started to get complete answers. The STS goes to someone that has known me since I was very young & the person I deal with is another girl who is into cars so we don't BS each other (but she says a lot of the guys she sees don't want to take her seriously at first either)
So with that, I think when it comes to cars (especially when you're talking about anything not specifically OEM) it really is still a boys club. I'm fine with it because my ski shop is also very much a boys club, it's about knowing how to work with it that's all.
07-04-09, 10:48 PM
#5
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And, since you're a CAR CHAT member, there's a good chance that you already know more than the guy you're talking to (and you do know more about cars than a number of men I know). But how many women are CAR CHAT members? I know of only about 4 or 5, right now (including you) that take part regularly in the discussions. There may be more, of course, in the regular Lexus-model forums; I don't know.
So, it's not a matter of "prejudice" or institutional problem that is preventing more women from gettting involved.........it is simply that many of them, unlike you, just don't have much interest in cars, and choose to do other things with their spare time. When they DO get involved, though, they can often make a difference......like Danica Patrick and F1 racing.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-04-09 at 10:58 PM.
07-04-09, 10:54 PM
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While it is still rare I personally try to encourage diversity as much as possible. We used to have some REAL hardcore ladies in SELOC, I mean they would attend more meets than the guys! I think we all know Dave's wife would whoop all our asses at the track if she drove a Beetle and we drove a GT-R 
Just today, my G/F and I were reading, myself Top Gear and her "EVO". She stopped and commented "you know I didn't really know much about cars until I met you, now I like talking about them".
Dave also always ensures we have lady representation as a moderator, again, diversity is fantastic.
Funny but if a woman doesn't know something about a car, I don't think much of it. If a guy doesn't know something about a car, I'm ready to ***** slap him
Just today, my G/F and I were reading, myself Top Gear and her "EVO". She stopped and commented "you know I didn't really know much about cars until I met you, now I like talking about them".
Dave also always ensures we have lady representation as a moderator, again, diversity is fantastic.
Funny but if a woman doesn't know something about a car, I don't think much of it. If a guy doesn't know something about a car, I'm ready to ***** slap him
07-04-09, 11:04 PM
#7
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Are you familiar with Denise McCluggage and the "Drive, She Said" column? Denise, like Danica Patrick, has made her mark as a racing driver, and regularly writes automotive editorials and columns. I read her stuff whenever I see it.
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07-04-09, 11:10 PM
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I think you misunderstood my post. I made it clear that there were some exceptions, even right here on CL. But, in general, my experience has been that most women are not as interested in cars as men are. And, I also stated that it is possible to be an auto-lover without being a speed or racing-lover.
And, since you're a CAR CHAT member, there's a good chance that you already know more than the guy you're talking to (and you do know more about cars than a number of men I know). But how many women are CAR CHAT members? I know of only about 4 or 5, right now (including you) that take part regularly in the discussions. There may be more, of course, in the regular Lexus-model forums; I don't know.
So, it's not a matter of "prejudice" or institutional problem that is preventing more women from gettting involved.........it is simply that many of them, unlike you, just don't have much interest in cars, and choose to do other things with their spare time. When they DO get involved, though, they can often make a difference......like Danica Patrick and F1 racing.
And, since you're a CAR CHAT member, there's a good chance that you already know more than the guy you're talking to (and you do know more about cars than a number of men I know). But how many women are CAR CHAT members? I know of only about 4 or 5, right now (including you) that take part regularly in the discussions. There may be more, of course, in the regular Lexus-model forums; I don't know.
So, it's not a matter of "prejudice" or institutional problem that is preventing more women from gettting involved.........it is simply that many of them, unlike you, just don't have much interest in cars, and choose to do other things with their spare time. When they DO get involved, though, they can often make a difference......like Danica Patrick and F1 racing.
Maybe refering to car culture as a boys club isn't entirely accurate because it's not usually purposeful exclusion; just more like s lack of inclusion by default.
I do think though that the woman of the OP article is probably making more of the situation / type cast than is warranted.
07-04-09, 11:11 PM
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I think she might have been in the AJC here years ago but I am not that familiar with her work. Thanks though.
07-05-09, 09:55 AM
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07-06-09, 12:20 PM
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girls that know about cars are awesome...def need more of them out there and advertising
07-06-09, 02:16 PM
#15
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I agree that there is nothing wrong with having more women in the auto repair buisness...the problem is just getting them interested. You can't force people to work somewhere they don't want to, sometimes even in bad economic conditions and unemployment like what we have today. What's more, working on today's cars is not just an OJT buisness like it was decades ago, with a few tools and some elbow grease. Today, if one wants a career in that field, he or she must go to a manufacturer or ASE-approved trade school, and graduate with various ratings.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-06-09 at 02:24 PM.