Gender Sensitive Cars In Iran

[Lightkeeper]

Gender sensitive Iran to design a car only for womenTue, Oct 7 12:35 PM

London, Oct.7 (ANI): Iran's biggest motor manufacturer has decided to take the country's gender sensitivity to new levels by producing a car especially for women.

According to a report appearing in The Guardian, the car will be fitted with features common on the international market but seen as female-specific in Iran's male-dominated culture.

It will have an automatic gearbox, electronic parking aids, a navigation system and a jack designed to make it easier to change a wheel, suggesting that women drivers lack the mechanical competence of their male counterparts.

Alarms may also be installed to warn of flat tires. The vehicle will be painted in soft "feminine" colours and include interior designs tailored to women's tastes. There will also be audiovisual entertainment systems for child passengers.

Iran Khodro, the state-backed manufacturer, said it would put the first models on sale next June to coincide with Women's Day in Iran.

The car will be part of the Samand range, which has been exported to allied countries such as Syria and Venezuela. However, the women's car will initially be aimed solely at the Iranian domestic market.

Vahid Najafi, managing director of Iran Khodro's order unit, said the design was prompted by a sharp increase in women drivers and car owners and was based on research into their preferences and needs. Cars will be built in response to orders from customers.

The idea is in line with gender separation officially encouraged by Iran's Islamic authorities.

Last year they backed a proposal for a female bicycle designed to conceal the rider's legs and upper body. Women are discouraged from cycling, mainly to preserve notions of female modesty, and are banned from riding motorcycles, except as passengers.

Gender sensitive Iran to design a car only for women - Yahoo! India News


Does this all seem a bit condescending?

[Wendy Tall One]

It is only truly condescending out of context. One must think of what these women traditionally wear in public. Long skirts and burkas that cover everything but their eyes.

Here in america, there would be an absolute outcry of epic proportions.

However, at the same time, we still have gender specific razors and cigarettes, go figure.

[arthra]

It will have an automatic gearbox, electronic parking aids, a navigation system and a jack designed to make it easier to change a wheel, suggesting that women drivers lack the mechanical competence of their male counterparts.

Alarms may also be installed to warn of flat tires. The vehicle will be painted in soft "feminine" colours and include interior designs tailored to women's tastes. There will also be audiovisual entertainment systems for child passengers.

Well some of that doesn't sound all that bad... I don't know about the feminine colors or interiors but hey..

Would you say that women have influenced US auto industry over time.. ?

The only thing I see that's missing is maybe some effective smog control devices!

Teheran has horrible smog:

The scale of the problem led one senior official to say living in the Iranian capital was like "collective suicide".

Source:

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran smog 'kills 3,600 in month'

It's true there's segregation in the Iranian society though as witness the rest iof the article:

A women-only taxi service, with women drivers, was recently launched in Tehran and other big cities.

Men and women are segregated in buses and on Tehran's underground.

They need a Rosa Parks over there...

Image:Rosaparks.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

-Art