The Gender Equality Cat Fight is Real

Playing in a traditionally men's domain, whether it's work or sport, can have some serious disadvantages for the average female. Sure, not all blokes are out-rightly sexist, but equality in the work place was only introduced about 30 years ago.

We all know the big issues. Women aren't tough enough, strong enough, rough enough, don't like to get dirty, and are sensitive to jokes. We've heard it all before. If you can't act like a bloke, you can't be part of the blokes world.

But in Motorsport especially, we're really starting to prove the guys wrong. There's heaps of girls racing, marshalling and working on engines, doing a great job of retaining their own feminine identity, while still being a serious competitor in the sport.

But that in itself comes with a whole new problem. And this time it's from their own gender. Yes there are sexist women out there too. But it takes the form of jealousy.

Hands up if you haven't been accused of sleeping your way to the top, using your boobs to get favours, or perhaps you're "butch". Often it's a case of, the more you succeed, or the more attention you get, the more rumours that will be spread around about you.

Because the wife or girlfriend doesn't understand your passion for the sport, because she can't comprehend why you would prefer to talk torque with her partner instead of recipes with her, the old green eye'd monster begins to appear.

She sits on the outside looking in, seeing laughter but not understanding the jokes. She sees a pat on the back as a flirtation, and her partner spending more time with you than with her.

But you only see another racer, a mate with the same passion, someone to ask engineering advice from. And so does he.

So how do we fix this? Most blokes are now accepting women into the sport, but how do we get through to the female spectators that we're just like them, only with a passion for motorsport?

I'm sorry, I don't actually have the answer. I too am a victim of the rumours. But hopefully with time and education, the next generation of women will accept our passion for what it is, even if they don't understand it.

by Andy Kahle
www.andyk.com.au