Car ownership and gender-mediated needs in India and China
Hair clips, left over food from yesterday’s trip to Mc Donald’s, child’s sipper, lip balm, broken hair dryer, dirty laundry, two extra pairs of shoes, last year’s wall calendar, cuddly toys, wrapping paper for gifts the list goes on and only becomes more unusual - you see these things in a car and you know that the driver is a woman.
Contrast this with a high definition car stereo system and speakers that match, a certain car perfume, no additional fitments inside the car other than those outside, viz. an extra spoiler, collar for the silencer and stickers that match the color of the car, and similar stuff that makes the car look like a potent metal carriage that moves around - you see these in a car and you know that the driver is a man.
What do these two examples show? What do things in a car say about the driver?
A lot, to say the least.
For a man, his car needs to be all loaded, state of the art, well-oiled, prepared for any emergency - almost like it were a phallic symbol in the body of a motorized metal carriage that were designed for mating calls -both overt and covert. Of course there are men whose cars are extensions of their beer bellies – out of shape and full of waste, but we do not see many such men driving good cars, do we?
What we do see though are young men driving around the city streets – steady around neighborhood markets and zipping on trunk roads, with their car stereos blaring music, as they look sideways. Do not panic - they are only checking out those who are checking them out - modern day mating calls I say!
Such kind of contemporary masculinity is just another version of the refined aggression of a well-heeled businessman or successful company executive walking proudly towards his shining new BMW – be it in a car park in Beijing or Bangalore.
For a man his car is like a chariot that he steers in this society’s resource constrained war zone. A war zone with too many successful men and too few suitable women, too many cars and too little space, too many people and too few who can really stand out.
For different kinds of men, the chariots are different too - there is the ceremonial ‘peace chariot’, the one that seeks nothing more than prestige. It is usually a luxury sedan - symbolizing class more than control, pragmatism more than power. Usually it is the business executive, or the young achiever who is seen in the company of such three-box metallic wonders.
There also is the ‘war chariot’ or the SUV, which is about Power more than Prestige, Dominance more than a subtle statement of Superiority. It does not believe in peaceful coexistence - not in life, not on the road. Little wonder, that the more chauvinistic among the men in India - the political leaders, landlords, aristocracy and the likes, are regularly seen in the vicinity of their 4-Wheel Drives.
Even in China, where political leadership has already standardized the choice of power statement (in Audis they trust and a black A-6 is the badge of power in Middle Kingdom!) But in spite of this, many still go for their Q7s. PLA personnel and their Audi SUVs with the trademark white number plates are hard to miss in all major cities in China and especially in Beijing!
But that’s about men, for most of the women on the other hand, a car is like a Palanquin. It is an extension of her living space. It has to offer, at an arms length, all that she needs, or needs to do – be it the make-up kit, hair comb, many shoes - “the stuff she needs”; or gifts, dirty laundry, broken hair dryer, child’s sipper - “the stuff she needs to do”.
Try overhearing conversations that women have about cars – they usually hover around the brand names and quickly move into a discussion about the interiors. Many of them just want a nice cup holder or a bigger vanity mirror under the sunshade! Their needs speak volumes about their expectations from the car. For a girl the way a car feels from inside is any day more important than the way it looks on the outside.
Such needs are in sharp contrast to a man’s need for the ‘spec-fest’ loaded with numbers- 1.5/1.6@ 2000 and the self-styled platoon of reassuringly complicated abbreviations - BHP, PS, rpm, DOHC, ROCAM, VTEC and the list goes on.
There of course are exceptions to this, because Tomboy girls like SUVs and bikes just the way safety obsessed moms like the extra armour of a 4-Wheel drive. And not to miss China’s er nais (Mistresses), who can be seen driving almost anything - from a Beetle to a Bentley; QQ to Q7s with as many Cayenne’s, Mini Coopers and Lamborghinis in between!
In developing countries like China and India, cars have classically been marketed either to the man or to the family. Seldom do we think about the implications of gender preferences in car purchase. In China unlike in India – a man’s car does not have much of a chance to look especially masculine. This is because of the prevailing regulations that prohibit any modification to a car’s exterior – thus leaving the male of the species with a generic logo that could be just about as exclusive as the price tag attached to it.
The personal feminine touch is more visible for a woman’s car. Women, especially those who are single, have a bigger playground on the inside of the car. Little wonder you see Hello Kitty’s with their potent pinks and hug-worthy panda’s by the million. China, which is already world’s biggest market for cars and India, which is on its way to the No. 4 spot in 2015 have a growing number of female drivers (and owners!). For example 15-20% of hands behind the wheels in urban India are females. Contrast this with still bigger numbers from China, where as much as 40% of Beijing drivers are women. The trend is not limited to big cities – south China’s Hainan Traffic Police data suggests that female license-holders account for over 17% of the total number of drivers. Even in Shouguang in Shandong (East China), with a population of just over 1,080,000 - one third of students in driving schools are women!
In spite of these pointers, it is difficult to think when was the last time a car was marketed to women, by pre-fitting it with things that acknowledged the presence of the female buyer.
Adapting a car to a woman’s needs does not require a lot of reengineering, basic adjustments on the inside can already help the women in many ways. There is no rocket science in visualizing a special under-seat shoebox that can hold the extra pair, so that everything need not be kept in the boot. Imagine seat belts that do not spoil ironed clothes and back of sunshades, that not only has a vanity mirror but can also hold lipsticks and eyeliners. Think of special LV steering wheel covers, visualize an extendable massage arm under driver’s seat that can soothe strained legs, and also a window glass that blocks out harmful UV rays while minimizing skin tan. The possibilities are endless – all it takes is the conviction and the will to do it.
Gender roles are becoming increasingly prominent in car purchases. Heroic hunter’s power and prestige has had more than its share of limelight, it is time to turn attention to feminine fairy’s cool comfort, which is looking for wheels to match. Are we listening?
