Why Women Aren’t Interested in Cars

People often say that women aren’t interested in cars. The reasons usually given include:

・The cost of ownership is too high
・They don’t feel confident behind the wheel
・They’re happy just riding in the passenger seat
・They’re afraid of the risks involved in an accident

Those explanations do make sense. But I think the biggest reason women aren’t interested in cars is that they don’t have many women around them who own and drive cars as a hobby.

Few women around you drive
→You can’t picture yourself owning a car
→Buying a car doesn’t even seem like a life choice
→The number of women who drive doesn’t grow
→There are still few women around you who drive

It’s a bit of a vicious circle.

I’ve heard that people who grow up in families that run their own businesses often see starting a business as a perfectly normal option—and many go on to do just that. By contrast, people raised in families of salaried employees tend to see working for a company as the natural path for themselves, too.

My husband was born into a family that had run a business for generations. He once told me, “The idea of putting on a suit and going into an office every day felt so strange to me.” I, on the other hand, grew up in a family of company employees, so starting my own business seemed like something people in a completely different world did.

When someone does something that wasn’t part of the world you grew up in, it can feel unfamiliar—and may not even occur to you as an option. We’re deeply shaped by our environment. That’s why I think a major reason women aren’t interested in cars is that they can’t picture themselves driving one when they don’t know many women who love cars, own them, and get behind the wheel.

Five Reasons More Women Haven’t Gotten into Cars

So why has this situation come about? I think the reasons run deeper than they might first appear. Here are the five factors I’ve come up with.

1　Fewer Women Had Their Own Income

Buying a car costs real money—often millions of yen—and then there are the ongoing expenses. It’s hard to buy one yourself unless you earn a decent income, and until relatively recently, there were still few women earning enough to do so. Although the share of women in the workforce has continued to rise, even just ten years ago, many women left their jobs when they got married or had children. (That was the situation when I started my first job after graduating.)

But today, more people—regardless of gender—have careers of their own. I think that may mean more women will get into cars in the years ahead.

2　Beauty Often Takes Priority Over Cars

Even when money is tight, plenty of women take out loans for expensive beauty treatments. Some cut back on groceries to spend a significant amount each month on skincare. I’m a woman myself, so speaking from that perspective, I’d say women are creatures who want to look beautiful and cute at any age. It’s not about logic; I think it’s instinct.

It’s not necessarily about looking good for someone else. We want to feel good about ourselves. When we feel beautiful, we gain confidence, like ourselves more, and can make big changes in our lives. (Every now and then, I seriously daydream about how I could somehow become more like Haruka Ayase—haha.)

It’s not quite Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but perhaps for many women, wanting a car comes after they’ve satisfied their desire to feel beautiful to some degree. And, of course, that takes money.

3　The Stereotype of Women Who Love Cars Isn’t Very Appealing

Unfortunately, women who love cars don’t always have the best image. I think some people assume they’re “speed demons who love to drive flat out” or “tough, masculine types who don’t need a boyfriend.” That’s not necessarily true, of course, but plenty of women may be put off by the stereotype.

And it’s not just women. Japan doesn’t have a particularly strong motorsports culture, so there’s often a prevailing image of “car enthusiast = geek” or “car enthusiast = street racer.” When I first met my husband and heard he was into cars, I thought, “Oh, so he’s like someone from Initial D, drifting through mountain passes while delivering tofu.”

4　Car Brands’ Marketing to Women Is Too Cutesy

We often hear about carmakers designing or marketing cars for women. But the ads I see tend to be overly sweet and girly: “A pastel color that suits me! It even comes in pink!” or “A stylish compact car that’s perfect for me!” Without us even realizing it, we seem to absorb messages like “The right car for a woman is a pink compact” and “Women should choose a car for its cute looks, not its performance or sound.”

But lately, even in the world of fitness, we’re seeing plenty of women train hard and take a disciplined approach to getting in shape. The mood is shifting toward “women can be cool, too!” Maybe car ads aimed at women will change along with the times.

5　Japanese Culture Doesn’t Always Embrace Being Different

In Japan, there’s a strong tendency to value fitting in. Maybe that’s even more pronounced in a relatively homogeneous society. Stepping outside the conventional image of what a woman is “supposed” to be can make life harder. That may be why publicly saying “I love cars” takes courage for some women. Though, of course, this isn’t limited to women.

This Is What Diversity Looks Like

I’ve covered a lot of ground, but I don’t think women’s lack of interest in cars comes down only to things like not feeling confident driving or worrying about accidents. The causes may run much deeper. What matters is this:

It’s okay not to be interested in cars. It’s okay to love cute cars, and it’s okay to love sports cars. The world has room for all kinds of people.

If a culture of openness continues to grow in Japan—a culture that says, “I can see why you think that,” and “It’s not for me, but I’m glad it makes you happy”—then perhaps more women will feel welcome in the world of cars.