Women in Motorsport

These pages consider not only competitive participation by women in motorsports but the many other forms of participation including spectating, employment and the representation of women in motorsport.

Women Drivers

In 1997, the RAC Motor Sports Association commissioned psychologist Dr Judy Eaton to study female participation in motorsports after noting only 2% of competitive license holders in Britain are women. This figure is particularly low when the number of girls competing in karting events is considered. Of karters between the ages of 8 and 14, 40% are girls. However, many of these girls drop-out during their teenage years - a number of possible reasons Dr Eaton studied include:

• Peer pressure. Girls feel pressurized by their peers to be part of the 'in crowd', karting and motorsports are not considered to be a 'female sport' by many .
• Physical changes. With the onset of puberty many girls find themselves at a physical disadvantage especially if placed in classes against older boys.
• Bullying. A number of young karters reported being verbally abused and alleged to have been knocked off tracks on purpose.
• Over-scrutinizing. Many girls felt they were over-scrutinized especially if they had done well as a number of people would accuse them of cheating.
• Finance and support. Many found the sport financially straining and lacked family support often paramount in a boy's career

For those women who remain in the sport the main pressure seems to be financial and lack of support, both financial and emotional. Many female drivers find it difficult to obtain funds for what is an expensive sport. Whilst many male drivers note extensive support from friends and family this appears to be lacking for many women drivers as they are deemed too risky a prospect. American Indycar driver, Janet Guthrie notes, despite competing in the Indy 500 and being placed 9^th, she retired from racing because of financial reasons. Of the few female drivers to ever race in Formula One, Lella Lombardi and Giovanna Amati both entered the sport with considerable financial backing and were therefore seen as effectively buying their seat.

The reasons cited for the lack of women drivers and the belief there will never be competitive female drivers at elite levels are many and varied. Many cite women's lack of physical strength and stamina as a reason they are unable to compete at top levels though this may be misleading and is an area of much physiological debate. Recent studies suggest women's physiology may be better suited than men for endurance sports. It is also noted that the variations and differences within a sex are actually greater than those between the sexes. Women can train to a high level of strength and stamina and it would be interesting to compare the experiences of female air force pilots who, like racing drivers, are subject to high G-force situations. These are encouraging stories for the would-be female racing driver. It may be the lack of support for such dedicated training which deters or hinders female drivers as opposed to the actual training itself.

Another factor cited for the lack of female participation is women lack the aggressive nature to race. Along with the assumptions regarding the potential fitness of women, this is deeply rooted in the perception of femininity and masculinity ( also see the section masculinity and the perception of risk). The socially constructed ideas of femininity, that is, what it means to be female, includes the characteristics such as nurturing, gentle, fragile, weak. Motorsports are often portrayed as masculine in nature - 'it takes balls to race' and if you don't race well you race like a 'girl' or a 'poof'. This is what Coakley refers to when talking about gender logic (1994:225) - the 'common sense' idea that women are naturally inferior to men. This was particularly evident to Janet Guthrie when she began racing and was heckled by some members of an Indycar crowd with such taunts as 'go back to the kitchen'. Women driving racing car therefore can be seen to challenge the deeply rooted beliefs of racing as a masculine sport and male hegemony. As a 'male' sport, motor racing celebrates and reproduces the definition of masculinity which deters female participation or deems female participation 'unnatural'. If women do compete they may be deemed to have taken on 'masculine' traits both physical and mental - this is apparent in many sports and many female athletes may be praised for 'retaining their femininity'. When Dorothy Levitt raced in the 1900s Brendon notes:

"Levitt's publisher wrote she was not 'a big strapping amazon'...but...'the most girlish of womanly woman"

(Brendon 1997:91)

The low number of female racing drivers means there are few role models for budding drivers to look to and this is an important aspect of many athletes burgeoning careers. Details on female competitors can be found in the timeline. In 1962, the British Women Racing Drivers' Club was formed and today boasts a membership of over 100 including female single seater, rally and kart drivers. Such clubs provide an opportunity for female drivers to network and gain support from other women with similar experiences. One thing which is evident from talking to female competitors is 'women only' events are not a popular option and many women drivers express they want to compete with men on 'their ground'. Regarding women only events let's consider the for and against:

FOR women only events:

• may provide a more comfortable atmosphere for young and novice drivers
• highlights female participation
• autonomy
• brings female drivers together

AGAINST women only events:

• competing for already limited resources in a high-cost activity
• female competitors want to race in mixed classes
• risk of events being labeled 'second' best
• may be perceived as discriminating against men

The consideration of women only events may be perceived differently at different levels of the sport -recreational, novice and professional. Women-only events in recreational and novice karting for example may encourage new participants who felt deterred from trying the sport due to its 'macho' image. This is an area which would benefit from further research. It is not widely known that of all the racing schools in Great Britain only two do not have female instructors and they would like some! The availability of female race instructors may be an area which should be publicized more to encourage women to take up the sport, at whatever level.

 Next page: "Women Working in Motor Sports"

  Bibliography (or Go to my Book Reviews Page)

Jay J Coakley - "Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies" Mosby 1994 Go to my Sociology Book Reviews Page for news of an updated edition of this book available from Amazon.co.uk

(c)RH PR 2007