Podcast
Fresh Air
During the episode, host Terry Gross spoke with journalist Nancy Nichols about the title, highlighting how it examined the historical gendering of automobiles, from marketing to design and the exclusion of women from car knowledge. She noted the book's unexpected and personal approach, and expressed her enjoyment of its insights. The discussion emphasized the book’s relevance to understanding how car culture has been shaped by gender norms.
Episode: How Cars Became A Gendered Technology
The guest's new book discussed how cars became highly gendered technology, exploring historical perspectives on how cars were marketed and designed differently for men and women. It covered topics ranging from women being excluded from learning about cars to clothing designed specifically for driving.
My guest journalist Nancy Nichols has written a new book about how cars became our most gendered technology.
Nancy Nichols has written a new book called Women Behind the Wheel, an unexpected and personal history of the car.
I really enjoyed your book. What were your preconceptions that you were brought up with about women drivers?
And now as you point out in your book, bodies of cars are made out of some kind of plastics. You don't have to wax them anymore. They're not going to rust. They'll crumble maybe.
Nancy Nichols' new book is called Women Behind the Wheel.