Motorsports is a very male-dominated society. For decades, women have been battling against the prevailing sexism in the industry that has been institutionalized, even though the rest of the world has been moving forward.
Even though there aren’t a lot of people who think that motorsport is and should be for men only. However, sexism is still existent, and if you don’t realize that, you are guilty of one thing – not trying to balance the scales.
In the motorsport commission of today, there are women representatives from more than 75 countries, which is a huge achievement. There are plenty of opportunities for ladies in this industry and we have to pass on the knowledge regarding these to the upcoming generations.
Here’s how you can bring the industry towards the road of equality.
Get More Passionate People on Board
We need to establish a board of passionate, like-minded, and driven people who want to create this earth a better place. A clear set of goals and objectives need to be established so that there can be a wide range of strategies that will encourage awareness of inclusivity and participation.
An effective combination of changing the sporting format and presenting a racing career as a great opportunity is the need of the hour.
Start from the Grassroots
It is evident that there are very few girls and ladies on the earth who are being encouraged to try their luck at motorsport from a very young age. Therefore, it is not hard to see why there are very few ladies at the higher levels of the sport.
There aren’t enough females who are competing to have a fair representation of their talent. Therefore, we need to work at the grassroots with the aim to tackle this imbalance. There have been some investments in starting initiatives that will expose young girls.
There are more female teams and drivers in the last couple of years, who have been competing at the national level, and that is a great win. Many young girls are starting to look at becoming a racing female drivers and competing in different motor racing series. Just like we debate on top-step issues like climate change, we need to bring this up as well.
Don’t dismiss the ladies who are in the paddock
When you see ladies in the paddocks, even if they are not wearing any team gear, don’t ignore them while you are talking about cars and races with your friends. This is very sexist behavior and you should certainly avoid that.
We see that men who aren’t even interested in vehicles are still made a part of these conversations while ladies are put aside no matter how knowledgeable they are. Whether the ladies in the paddock are in race suits, greased-up overalls, civilian clothes, or team wear, they are probably interested. Even if they are not, don’t be rude and exclude them.
Don’t Treat Ladies as Decoration
In the earth of motorsport, it is hard to not see ladies as decoration since there are roles that are there for just that purpose. Even though girls look wonderful wearing those ridiculous outfits and shoes, it doesn’t mean that all women have that role only.
The concept of grid girls is a tad bit archaic and we do appreciate that the women work hard, love their jobs, and earn money for their families, but they are a lot more than that and we need to look beyond that.
Never sexualize the women who are working. Even if you are attracted to a woman working in the vehicle industry, you need to keep rude, sexual comments to yourself.
Never Underestimate the Women
Before you mansplain an engine to a woman, be very careful. Maybe the person you are talking to has a degree in vehicle engineering. A lady who is in the paddocks might know as much as you do about car racing, and there is a high chance that she might even be more knowledgeable.
Never Minimize their Struggle
It is very annoying and frustrating when people say that sexism doesn’t exist. It is amazing that these people have never faced sexist behaviors, but for most of us, we go through it every day and people don’t realize how damaging it is.
If you don’t experience or face a thing, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We should read up some gender equality essays to know more about this. A lot of people in society face it and you shouldn’t trivialize their struggles.
Final Word
The earth is moving towards fairness. The FIA Women just celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, and it has been a decade of intense activity, effort, and engagement to make the sport more inclusive.
Many people, such as Alejandro Agag & Michèle Mouton, are working hard. The female racers team continues to bring honor to the game as they show the truest reflection of their capabilities.
Across every profession and industry, we are seeing a positive shift but there is always a lot of room for improvement and plenty more progress that still needs to be done. We all need to fulfill our duties, responsibilities, and obligations to turn the earth into an inclusive, fair, and diverse place.
