As Women’s Day approaches, CARS24 has launched a bold campaign called ‘Park Your Bias’, aimed at highlighting an unconscious bias many may not even realise exists. Through a striking social experiment, the campaign exposes an uncomfortable truth: while women are trusted to drive families, race professionally, and navigate complex traffic, they are still not trusted with other people’s cars.
The Experiment That Exposed an Invisible Bias
At a busy parking area entrance, two valet attendants, one male and one female, stood ready to park cars. The difference between the two? The valet attendants wore identical uniforms, had the same job, and shared the same level of experience. Yet, when it came time for participants to choose whom to entrust their cars to, 97% of car owners instinctively chose the male valet, regardless of his behaviour. Even when the male valet appeared inattentive, glued to his phone, eating mid-shift, or struggling with mobility, he was still chosen over the female valet. Out of 80 participants, only three handed their car keys to the female valet.
What Does This Say About Us?
This isn’t about questioning women’s ability to drive. Women hold 35% of India’s driving licences, race professionally, drive ambulances, and navigate the same unpredictable roads as men. But when we witness reckless driving, our instinct is to assume the driver is male. When we see someone struggling, the assumption is female. Why? Because perception often overrides reality.
The statistics, however, tell a different story:
- Women are involved in fewer road accidents than men.
- Men are more likely to overspeed, drive under the influence, and violate traffic laws.
- Despite this, women are still seen as the ‘lesser’ drivers.
“This isn’t about proving women can drive, we already know they can," said Gajendra Jangid, Co-Founder of CARS24. “This is about exposing a bias so deeply ingrained that we don’t even notice it. If we hesitate to trust a woman with our car, what else are we unconsciously holding them back from? It’s time to park this mindset for good.”
A Call for Change
CARS24’s ‘Park Your Bias’ aims to challenge the everyday decisions we make without realising it. The campaign urges people to question their unconscious biases and rethink the way women are perceived, not just on the road but in areas like hiring, leadership, and opportunities. In industries such as automotive dealerships and service centres, where men still dominate, women’s skills are too often overlooked, not due to a lack of ability, but because of bias.
As Gajendra Jangid explains, “Bias doesn’t just exist on the road. It exists in hiring, leadership, and opportunities. The automotive industry from dealerships to service centres remains overwhelmingly male-dominated, not because women lack skill, but because they are overlooked.”
This Women’s Day, CARS24 is encouraging society to do more than celebrate women – it’s time to change the way we see them, because “skill has no gender. Bias does.”
