Women Behind the Wheel

An Unexpected and Personal History of the Car

Nancy A. Nichols

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Year: 2024
• Edition: 0
• eBook ISBN:
  9781639365609
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Women in History
• Index: History

From the adolescent thrill of getting a driver's license to the dreaded commutes of adulthood, from vintage muscle cars to electric vehicles, this groundbreaking book reveals the outsized impact the car has had—and will continue to have—on the lives of women. Since their inception cars have defined American culture, but until quite recently car histories were largely written by and about men—with little attention given to the fascinating story of women and cars. In this engaging non-fiction narrative, Nancy A. Nichols, the daughter of a used car salesman, uses the cars her father sold and the ones her family drove to tell a larger story about how the car helped to define modern womanhood. From her sister's classic Mustang to her mother's Chevy Convertible to her own Honda minivan, Nichols tells a personal story in order to shed light on a universal one. Cars helped women secure the right to vote, changed the nature of romance, and influenced both fashion and child rearing customs. In the just over 100 years since their inception, cars have created possibilities for commerce and romance even as they exposed women to new kinds of danger. Women Behind the Wheel explores the uniquely gendered landscape of the automobile, detailing the many reasons why cars are both more expensive and more dangerous for women drivers. The automobile is on the cusp of momentous change. As we advance into the era of electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles, Nichols shows us why we should hit the brakes and look back in the rear-view mirror at this long and fascinating history. What is the role of the car in our lives? Should we be more skeptical of technology in our society? In Women Behind the Wheel, Nichols argues convincingly that only by understanding the many ways the car has changed us, can we hope to prepare ourselves for this brave new era.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Chapter One: Birth of a Car Salesman
• Chapter Two: My Mother’s Chevy Convertible and Sexual Freedom
• Chapter Three: My Sister’s Mustang: A Fashion Accessory Made of Steel
• Chapter Four: The Moving Van
• Chapter Five: My First Car: Speed, Power, and Women’s Liberation
• Chapter Six: The Punch Buggy: The Volkswagen Beetle and Violence against Women
• Chapter Seven: New York City
• Chapter Eight: My Honda Odyssey: Minivans and Moms
• Chapter Nine: Cars, Consumption, and Cancer
• Chapter Ten: Automotive Maternity and the Volvo
• Chapter Eleven: My Subaru: Gender and the Lesbian Car
• Chapter Twelve: The Pious Prius and the Bicycle: A Story about Violence and the Car
• Chapter Thirteen: COVID-19, Cars, and the Hated Commute
• Chapter Fourteen: Paying the Pink Tax: The High Cost of Driving While Female
• Chapter Fifteen: Back to the Future in the Electric “Ladies’ ” Car
• Chapter Sixteen: Tomorrow’s Vehicle: Autonomous, Connected, Distracting, and Dangerous
• Chapter Seventeen: Actual Miles May Vary: The Story We Tell Ourselves about the Car
• Photographs
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright