Richard Branson Shows How Not to Address a Gender Imbalance

In case you missed is Sir Richard Branson recently became the primary investor in a Formula 1 team and had it renamed Virgin F1. Since making this announcement Branson has managed on this stage to make two remarkably sexist statements.

The latest involves his apparent desire to hire a female Formula 1 driver – something that turned out not to be possible when the most qualified candidate refused his offer. Danica Patrick, who finished 5th in the US based Indy Car Championship this year, was the driver in question; of her Branson had this to say:

“I would have loved to have had a looker like Danica drive,” he told the paper. “She is not only good and quick, she’s a stunner. I believe there is room for women drivers in F1.”

And just in case it wasn’t clear that his priorities weren’t completely screwed up, he added this:

“I wanted four female drivers but we’ve ended up with four of the best looking male drivers out there.”

Well, yes Sir Dick, there is room for female drivers in F1, and there might actually be more talented enough female drivers around, if people like you stopped playing up how women look all like sexy and rather, encouraged women to apply themselves in traditionally male pursuits like motor racing from an early age.

There are some talented women drivers around, but nowhere like the
numbers of men. Vijay Mallya, another F1 team owner, recently stated
that he was also on the look out for a female F1 driver, he couldn’t
find one either. With two team owners actively looking for female
drivers we know that there simply aren’t any around currently
performing well enough in top categories to fit the bill. F1 pundit,
Martin Brundle, thinks there are fewer women at the upper eschelons of
motor racing because of the physical strength required to steer the car
under high G-forces. This is probably one factor, but a larger issue,
must surely be socialisation that results in less than (conservatively)
2% of people who even try motor sport being female.

A few years ago Jenson Button suggested that there weren’t likely to
be any female F1 drivers again (there have been women who have competed
in the sport in the past: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/2925.html)
because they weren’t cart racing from the age of 7. Jenson probably
glimpsed part of the problem, ironically (for him) his team mate at the
time, Takuma Sato, had only driven his first competitive race 3 years
previously. So, there is more to it than simply starting the sport at
an early age. What allowed Sato to be successful is that, despite not
racing, he was immersed in car culture – he was always into cars – and
was driven to do well, believed he could do well, knew about how to
drive good lines etcetera, all he had to do was apply the knowledge
he’d immersed himself in. Still, remarkably difficult, but women are
unlikely to have had even this link to car culture. Cars are a boys
thing. When a boy is getting his first Match Box or Mattell cars, girls
are getting their Barbies.

The culture girls are introduced to is aesthetics, that boys are
introduced to is racing and technology. If Branson really wants a
female F1 driver he’d be giving toy Virgin F1 cars to every girl that
wants one rather than focussing on how good his driver is going to look
and suggesting that that’s the area where females excel.

Of course, Branson isn’t the only problematic part of F1, though
women have some of the top engineering positions in some teams, the
practice of using “grid girls,” is a visual reminder of where most of
F1’s hierarchy probably consider women most usefully employed.

Still, Branson is new to F1 and can’t claim that it was being in
this environment that brought about his ridiculous statements. Earlier
this month Branson challenged fellow F1 newcomer, Tony Fernandes, to a
bet (http://en.espnf1.com/lotus/motorsport/story/5174.html).
What did Branson bet? Well the worse performed of the two will work for
a day on the other’s airline. No big deal you would think, it could
reasonably be thought of as demeaning for the owner of an airline to
work as a steward on another’s. But there’s a twist, Branson didn’t
suggest they should dress as stewards, but rather as stewardesses.
That’s right, he’s using the feminine as penance! What could be more
insulting than working for your rival’s airline in a lowly position?To
Branson’s way of thinking, working for your rival’s airline in a lowly
position as a woman.

It’s no wonder Danica Patrick turned down Branson’s offer to drive one of his cars.