Automobile-based gender discrimination in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This article explored the influence of automobiles on gender relations in present day Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean cultures may be different but as African cultures they share much when it comes to their world views on gender. The advent of the automobile has changed gender relations in Zimbabwe by introducing new gender roles based on the automobile whether it be private or public. Women are mostly the victims of this gender discrimination. All forms of automobiles in Zimbabwe play a role in creating discriminatory gender roles or practices. The private family car raises gender discrimination by virtue of its small size when compared to the big African extended family and women always lose in the battle for a place in front or inside. Big vehicles such as trucks and buses are sometimes too high for the comfort of ladies due to the expected type of dressing; and ladies are discriminated against both as drivers and as passengers. Public transport has discriminatory practices that discriminate against both men and women. When selling a car, gender is a marketing strategy and in this case a car driven by a woman is more marketable than one driven by a man. The automobile industry from manufacturing, servicing and driving is a male-dominated domain. Women operate almost as outsiders in the industry.